It has been five years since the Japan version of "plea bargaining" was introduced. As a means of gathering new evidence, attention was focused on whether it would be a turning point in criminal justice.
Only three cases have been found to be applied in the past five years. The application is limited to specific economic crimes and drug crimes, and has been expected to lead to the elucidation of corporate fraud and organized crime. In two of the three cases, the court addressed the credibility of plea bargains.