"The Japanese police custody system known as 'Daiyo-Kangoku' has come under increasing fire by legal and human rights groups, including the International Bar Association, Japanese Federation of Bar Associations, and Amnesty International for its alleged violation of basic human rights. Daiyo-Kangoku established by Prison Law (Art.1.3) was adopted as a provisional measure nearly 90 years ago to permit the detention of suspects under court order in police station cells. Current statistics account for 1,267 police station cells nationwide that are used to hold 97% of all detainees. The system has thus taken on a nature of permanency even to the extent of competing with regular prisons or detention centers. Although 23 days is the maximum period during which an unindicted suspect can legally be detained, in many cases, suspects are simply re-arrested before the expiration date of the designated period and are subsequently held for months of repeated questioning."
