ABSTRACT
Since the early 1990s, the number of foreigners in Japanese prisons increased rapidly. The overwhelming majority of convicted foreign prisoners in Japan are Asian immigrant workers or professional criminals from neighboring Asian countries who entered the country with criminal intentions. Of all the registered criminal offenses committed by foreigners in Japan, offenses against the Penal Code make up less than half of all crimes, and half of these offenses against the Penal Code consist of theft-related crimes. The general increase in the number of non-resident foreigners among convicted prisoners in Japan and their predominance among foreign convicts is mainly caused by Chinese nationals who enter the country on short-term visas and/or stay in the country illegally after the expiration of their residence permit. Another prominent group of inmates in the Japanese prison system are Brazilian nationals. The increase in the number of Brazilians in Japanese prisons may partially result from the disastrous immigration policy of the Japanese government.
