Japan's unique system of detention, interrogation and trial was recently subjected to withering criticism by the UN. Will anything change?

Even in a culture that frowns on displays of extreme emotion, Yanagihara Hiroshi cannot suppress his rage. The state falsely accused him of rape, imprisoned him for two years then freed him with the odd words of Judge Fujita Satoshi ringing in his years. “I hope the rest of his life will be meaningful,” said Fujita following a rare retrial at Takaoka Branch of Toyama District Court. While languishing in Fukui Prison, Yanagihara lost his job and his father, who died alone. “The judge's ‘not-my-problem attitude’ made me sick,” Yanagihara said after the verdict.