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Dispute over police actions compounds traffic tragedy
February 7, 2007Long detentions and interrogations are common in Japan — whatever the nationality. “This is surely one of the very few democratic countries where the police can detain someone for four months after a traffic accident,” says Lawrence Repeta of Omiya Law School. Repeta says such detentions reflect the unequal standing in Japan between defense lawyers and prosecutors. “The practice is truly pre-modern.”