Japan

Act on International Assistance in Investigation and Other Related Matters

Chapter III Transfer of a Sentenced Inmate for Testimony Regarding a Domestic Sentenced Inmate

Article 19 (Decision of Transfer of a Sentenced Inmate for Testimony)

(1) When the requesting country, in accordance with a treaty, requests the transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony regarding a domestic sentenced inmate (hereinafter refers to a person who is confined in Japan for execution of a sentence of imprisonment with or without work, or of an assistance punishment set forth in item (ii) of Article 2 of the Act on the Transnational Transfer of Sentenced Persons (Act No. 66 of 2002)), the Minister of Justice shall make a decision of transfer of
the sentenced inmate for testimony with a fixed period for transfer of the domestic sentenced inmate, if neither item (i) nor (ii) of Article 2, nor any of the following (with respect to cases where the Minister of Justice receives a request for assistance in accordance with the proviso of paragraph (1) of Article 3, neither item (i) nor (ii) of Article 2, item (i) of Article 4, nor any of the following) applies, and where the Minister of Justice deems it appropriate to honor the request:

(i) When the domestic sentenced inmate does not consent in writing;

(ii) When the domestic sentenced inmate is under the age of 20;

(iii) When the requested period for transfer of the domestic sentenced inmate exceeds 30 days;

(iv) When a case regarding a crime that the domestic sentenced inmate has committed is pending in a Japanese court.

(2) The provisions of paragraphs (5) and (6) of Article 14, and paragraph (1) of Article 16 shall be applied mutatis mutandis to where a request for transfer of a sentenced inmate regarding a domestic sentenced inmate has been made. Any technical provisions for such application shall be set forth in a Cabinet order.

(3) The Minister of Justice shall, when having made the decision set forth in paragraph (1), order the warden of the penal institution in which the domestic sentenced inmate is imprisoned to hand over the inmate in accordance with the decision, and shall notify the domestic sentenced inmate to such effect.


Article 20 (Measures Relating to a Handover)

(1) The Minister of Justice shall send a permit of custody, to the Minister of Foreign Affairs when having made the order pursuant to paragraph (3) of Article 19.

(2) The Minister of Foreign Affairs, upon receipt of the permit of custody in accordance with the preceding paragraph, shall send it to the requesting country immediately.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding two paragraphs, when the Minister of Justice receives a request for assistance pursuant to the proviso of paragraph (1) of Article 3, the sending of the permit of custody to the requesting party shall be done by the Minister of Justice.

(4) The warden of the penal institution who has received the order set forth in paragraph (3) of Article 19 shall, when an official of the requesting country requests handover of the domestic sentenced inmate by showing a permit of custody, hand over the domestic sentenced inmate.

(5) The official of the requesting country who has received the handover of the domestic sentenced inmate in accordance with the provision in the preceding paragraph shall promptly escort the domestic sentenced inmate to the requesting country.


Article 21 (Treatment of the Period of Transfer of a Domestic Sentenced Inmate)

The period for which a domestic sentenced inmate has been made subject to the transfer of a sentenced inmate for testimony (excluding the period in which the inmate was not detained) shall be deemed as a period served for the purpose of execution of the sentence.


Article 22 (Special Provision to the Act on Penal Detention Facilities and Treatment of Inmates and
Detainees)

(1) With regard to the application of the Act on Penal Detention Facilities and Treatment of Inmates and Detainees (Act No. 50 of 2005), Article 52, paragraph (1) of Article 53 (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (6) of Article 132 of the Act), paragraph (2) of Article 53, paragraph (1) of Article 85, paragraphs (1), (2) and (4) of Article 98, paragraph (4) of Article 100, paragraphs (3), (5) and (7) of Article 132, paragraph (1) of Article 164 (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (3) of Article 165 of the Act), paragraph (3) of Article 166 (including the cases where it is applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to paragraph (4) of Article 167 and paragraph (4) of Article 168 of the Act), Articles 171, 174 and 175, the handover of a domestic sentenced inmate to an official of the requesting country pursuant to the provision of paragraph (4) of Article 20 shall not be deemed to be a release.

(2) Article 54 (except for items (ii) and (iii) of paragraph (1)), Article 55, paragraph (5) of Article 98 (limited to the part pertaining to item (i)), Article 99, paragraphs (4) to (7) inclusive of Article 132 and Article 176 of the Act on Penal Detention Facilities and Treatment of Inmates and Detainees shall apply mutatis mutandis to the personal effects left behind, remuneration, prohibited or suspended correspondence, or reproduction of the deleted or erased part of correspondence, in the case of a domestic sentenced inmate, who has been handed over to an official of the requesting country pursuant to paragraph (4) of Article 20, escaping or dying. In this case, the term "any of the items in paragraph (1) of Article 54" in paragraph (5), item (ii) and paragraph (7) of Article 132 of the Act shall be deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (1), item (i) of Article 54," and the term "paragraph (1) of Article 54" in paragraph (6) of Article 132 shall be deemed to be replaced with "paragraph (1) of Article 54 (except for items (ii) and (iii))."

Keywords

Other forms of cooperation
Cooperation under procedures of national law
National procedures for execution of requests for other forms of cooperation
Request for other forms of cooperation
Temporary transfer of persons in custody for purposes of identification or for obtaining testimony or other forms of assistance - national procedures for ICC proceedings



EDIT.