Why do innocent people confess?

[pmaitra]

Japan crime: Why do innocent people confess?

Japan has a conviction rate of more than 99%. But in recent months there has been a public outcry over a number of wrongful arrests where innocent people confessed to crimes.

It started with a threat posted on the city of Yokohama's website in late June: "I'll attack a primary school and kill all the children before the summer."

In the months that followed, there were a number of similar threats posted on the internet - some threatening famous people, including the Emperor's grandchildren.

After a police investigation, four people were arrested. Two, including a 19-year-old student, confessed whilst in custody.

But on 9 October, the real perpetrator sent an email to a lawyer - Yoji Ochiai - and local media, explaining how he or she made those threats by taking control of innocent internet users' computers with a virus.

His or her purpose, as stated in the email to Ochiai, was "to expose the police and prosecutors' abomination".

And in a way, it did. It raised the question - why did the innocent people confess to a crime that they didn't commit? What kind of pressure were they put under?

Read the full article by Mariko Oi, and see a video, here: BBC News - Japan crime: Why do innocent people confess?

[HR][/HR]

Is this also part of the Japanese psyche? This sure is the modus operandi of the Japanese judicial and police system. Could this be the root cause for the agitations at the Suzuki plant in Manesar? Have we been turning a blind eye to a potential Japanese problem while pinning all the blame on the workers, and in case of some unfounded arguments, the Maoists?