In Japan's Hyogo region, a sixteen-year-old girl named Runa was detained for eighteen days on unsubstantiated assault charges, barred from her mother's comfort, and subjected to relentless psychological pressure — emerging broken in body and spirit. Five months after her release, she died of cardiac arrest, weighing just twenty kilograms. Her family's lawsuit against the state has become a mirror held up to Japan's 'hostage justice' system, where a 99 percent conviction rate conceals a machinery that can consume the innocent as readily as the guilty.
Teen's death exposes Japan's 'hostage justice' system as family sues state
A 16-year-old girl died of cardiac arrest after losing 17.5kg during unlawful 18-day police detention, developing a severe eating disorder from psychological trauma and interrogation pressure.
Crime & Justice