Department of State Letter
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APBnews.com contacted the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs to seek its response to allegations of abusive treatment of Americans held in Japanese prisons, inquiring whether these allegations were being investigated and what actions, if any, the bureau had taken. The following is their reply.
Prison Regulations
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The following are excerpts of prison regulations given to English-speaking prisoners in Japan's Fuchu prison.
Congressional Testimony
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In November 1991, Christopher Lavinger, a 25-year-old disk jockey, was completing a two-week tour in Japan when he was arrested and convicted of drug possession. Lavinger spent 16 months in Japanese lock-ups including Fuchu before his release in November of 1993.
In 1994, Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.) held congressional hearings on Japan's allowing of prison labor to be used by private companies that export to the United States. During the hearing, Lavinger testified about the regimen and conditions in Japanese prisons. The following is an excerpt.
Inmate's Prison Schedule
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Christopher Lavinger re-created his schedule of a typical day in Fuchu prison.
Prisoner Illustrations
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The following two books were written and illustrated by Hiroshi Nonaka, who was a former inmate in Fuchu prison. Today Nonaka's whereabouts are unknown.
Illustrated Prison Encyclopedia
Volume 1
By Hiroshi Nonaka (former inmate of Japanese prison)
Publisher: Nippon Hyoron Sha
Illustrated Diary Inside of Fuchu Prison
Volume 2
By Hiroshi Nonaka
Publisher: Nippon Hyoron Sha
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