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Criminal defense and Juvenile Escourt

In a criminal case,
the first 72 hours after arrest are crucial.

You or a relative, friend, or acquaintance has been arrested!

If this happens, please contact Ocean Law Firm immediately.
Our team of specialists in representing foreign nationals in criminal matters will respond promptly.

  1. 1.
    Please contact us by telephone or email. A lawyer will respond promptly and provide you with appropriate advice.
  2. 2.
    You can consult with us directly in a foreign language without the need for an interpreter. (*English, French, Spanish)
  3. 3.
    Our lawyers are also well versed in immigration procedures. We will protect your visa status during criminal proceedings.
  4. 4.
    We have a track record of resolving over a thousand cases involving foreigners in a wide range of fields.
Toll-free number within Japan
From overseas:
+81-3-6435-9486
Telephone reception hours: Weekdays 9:00 – 17:00
(Japan Standard Time)

* We can provide advice in English, French, and Spanish

The first 72 hours after an arrest are crucial.

In Japan, the effectiveness of an arrest is limited to a maximum of 72 hours from the time of arrest. If a suspect is not released within 72 hours, a court may make a detention order. If a suspect is detained, they will be held in a police cell for up to 20 days and will be subjected to rigorous interrogation by the police and prosecutors. During this time, they will not be able to return home, nor be able to go to school or work. They may be expelled if they are absent from school for 20 days, and will likely be fired if unable to go to work.
If indicted during this detention period, the detention may continue for an even longer period.
In Japan, if someone is arrested and indicted the conviction rate is about 99%. In other words, once a person is indicted a conviction is almost certain and will result in a criminal record. Also, in the case of a foreign national, having a criminal record makes it difficult to renew their visa. Deportation proceedings will be commenced and there is a possibility of deportation. Once deported, it becomes very difficult to re-enter Japan and result in being separated from family members who are in Japan.

In order to avoid such disadvantages, it is important that a lawyer familiar with representing foreign nationals in criminal cases becomes involved within 72 hours of arrest and represents the suspect to secure their release from custody.

If a suspect’s visa expires while they are under arrest or in detention, their stay in Japan will become illegal.

Being arrested does not mean that a visa will be immediately revoked. However, if a suspect’s visa expires while they are under arrest or being detained, they will be considered to have overstayed their visa, so caution is required.

As a general rule, if a suspect overstays their visa, they will be detained in an Immigration Bureau detention facility even if they receive a deferred prosecution or a suspended sentence. Furthermore, the court will not grant bail to a visa overstayer.

Also, even if the suspect is acquitted or the prosecutor decides not to indict, if their visa has expired at that point, they will be detained by the Immigration Bureau as an illegal resident and be at risk of being deported.

A mistake regarding the prospects of the case may result in the loss of a visa.

In Japan, if a suspect is indicted, the conviction rate is more than 99%. If a foreign national is convicted and sentenced to imprisonment for more than one year, deportation proceedings will be commenced. Therefore, a foreign national must do everything they can to prevent being prosecuted. If a relaxed approach is taken, thinking that being indicted is not a problem as long as the result is a suspended sentence, deportation proceedings may be commenced after sentencing and result in being removed from Japan. Therefore, it is important to have a correct outlook on the case from the time of arrest and handle the case appropriately.

For a swift response in criminal cases, please trust the team of specialists in representing foreign nationals at Ocean Law Firm.

Our firm has many lawyers who are well versed in criminal cases involving foreigners, and we will respond promptly to inquiries via telephone or email.
Small law firms often lack lawyers who are able to handle consultations by phone. Our firm has multiple lawyers on standby who can assist at any time.

After contacting our office, a lawyer can provide consultations with a suspect, their family and friends, either over the telephone or online. If you would like to consult with a lawyer, please feel free to contact us.

Toll-free number within Japan
From overseas:
+81-3-6435-9486
Telephone reception hours: Weekdays 9:00 – 17:00
(Japan Standard Time)

* We can provide advice in English, French, and Spanish

Example Case

  • 16:30
    A family member of the arrested person calls and books a consultation appointment
  • 18:00
    Consultation conducted by telephone

    (* Consultation via Zoom is also possible. The consultation fee is 11,000 yen for 30 minutes.)

  • 20:00
    The lawyer rushes to the police station where the client is being detained.

    (* The initial attendance fee starts from 33,000 yen)

  • 21:00
    The lawyer arrives at the police station and interviews the client.
  • 23:00
    The lawyer returns to the office or finds a place near the police station and prepares a petition to appeal against detention. The documents are filed in court the next morning.

    (* In some cases, a meeting is held with the judge to present the client’s case orally)

  • 13:00
    The petition is granted and the client is released from the police station.

Why Ocean Law Firm is strong in criminal cases

Our team of specialists in representing foreign nationals handle a wide range of criminal cases At Ocean Law Firm, we handle a wide range of criminal cases involving foreign nationals , from sexual crimes such as groping and voyeurism to embezzlement, assault, fraud, domestic violence, theft, traffic offences, drug-related cases, and lay judge trials. In addition, we regularly hold internal study sessions on criminal cases involving foreign nationals to share knowledge, success stories, and know-how gained from experience.
Our team of specialists in representing foreign nationals strives to improve their skills every day in order to provide services that quickly meet or exceed our clients’ expectations, and to propose the most appropriate solutions for resolving cases.

Four advantages of consulting Ocean Law Firm

Advantage 1
Familiarity with criminal cases involving foreign nationals

The lawyers at Ocean Law Firm have handled many criminal cases involving foreign nationals. Therefore, we fully understand the concerns that foreign nationals may have about Japan’s criminal procedures due to differences in culture and systems. With such knowledge and experience, Ocean Law Firm lawyers can provide clients with accurate and easy-to-understand explanations of the Japanese criminal system, taking into account the differences with criminal procedures in foreign countries, and provide peace of mind.

Advantage 2
Direct communication in foreign languages

All of the lawyers at Ocean Law Firm are bilingual in Japanese and English. We also have lawyers who are fluent in French. A lawyer from general law firms brings an interpreter when meeting a client in custody, but Ocean Law Firm lawyers do not need an interpreter because they can communicate in foreign languages by themselves. This means the situation where a meeting cannot be held due to interpreter issues will not arise. Ocean Law Firm’s lawyers are able to meet an accused in custody promptly at any time (an interpreter may be required for other languages).

Advantage 3
Familiarity with immigration procedures

The lawyers at Ocean Law Firm are experts in not only criminal proceedings but also immigration procedures. When a foreign national is arrested, the case must be handled with an eye towards not only on the criminal proceedings but also any subsequent immigration procedures. A guilty verdict will lead to deportation and the possibility of being permanently banned from entering Japan, so it is important to handle the case accurately to prevent this from happening. In this regard, the lawyers at Ocean Law Firm are experts with a track record of handling hundreds of immigration procedures. We can provide accurate advice on criminal cases as well as immigration matters.

Advantage 4
We can also handle procedures related to visas (separate fees will be charged for immigration procedures).

All of the lawyers at Ocean Law Firm are qualified as application agents with the Immigration Services Agency, so they can handle immigration procedures on behalf of our clients.

If a person’s visa expires while they are in custody due to arrest or detention, they will become an overstayer. If a visa of the person expires, he or she may be detained by the Immigration Bureau after the criminal proceedings are completed and may be deported. However, a person who is arrested or detained cannot go to the Immigration Bureau and apply to renew its own visa. As a result, there is a possibility that the person may end up overstaying. In this regard, if Ocean’s lawyers are hired to handle the criminal case, we can submit visa renewal applications on the client’s behalf if they cannot go to the Immigration Bureau.

Toll-free number within Japan
From overseas:
+81-3-6435-9486
Telephone reception hours: Weekdays 9:00 – 17:00
(Japan Standard Time)

* We can provide advice in English, French, and Spanish