Japan · Tokyo · Katsushika, Tokyo
Tokyo Detention House
Data is aggregated from public sources and may be incomplete or out of date. Always verify with primary sources before acting on any figure. See data sources.
For families
How to send mail, money, and visit Tokyo Detention House
Step-by-step guidance using the Japan system — addresses, money services, visit booking, what to bring on your first visit.
Gallery
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Photo by Nesnad This photo was taken with Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ30 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Holds pretrial detainees and death-row prisoners awaiting execution. Executions are carried out on site.
Capacity
3,010
Current population
1,800
Occupancy
60%
Year opened
1971
Operational
Facility profile
Operator
Ministry of Justice (Correction Bureau)
Population held
mixed
Opened
1971
Region
Tokyo
Security level
Maximum
Death-row facility
Yes
Conditions
Death-row cells are single-occupancy. Death-row prisoners typically learn of execution only the morning it occurs.
Visiting
Visits 15 minutes, weekdays only. Pre-charge detainees may be limited to one visitor at a time; foreign nationals via consulate.
Mailing
Mail screened. Format: 〒124-0001 東京都葛飾区小菅1-35-1 東京拘置所 + name.
Practical info
Foreign consulate visits routed through the facility's foreign liaison desk.
Known issues
UN Human Rights Committee has raised concerns over the daiyō kangoku (substitute prison) system and conditions for death-row prisoners.
Notable inmates
Carlos Ghosn (2018-2019), Shoko Asahara and Aum Shinrikyo members (pre-execution), Mark Karpelès.
Contact & address
Conditions Risk Score
Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated
- Overcrowding
- 0/30
- Oversight reports
- 0/30
- Structural flags
- 10/15
- Death signals
- 5/15
- Conditions text
- 0/10
What the score is responding to:
- · Death-row facility
- · Substantial documented known-issues record
- · In-custody-death signal in sources
Compared to other facilities in Japan
154 peersHigher risk than 100% of peer facilities in Japan.
Data completeness
100%How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.
Sources
- MoJ Japan — Tokyo Detention House
- Amnesty International — Japan death penalty
- Ministry of Justice Japan — corrections — 法務省
- Amnesty International — country pages — Amnesty International
- See /data-sources for our overall methodology.