A nonprofit organization that supports victims of child pornography and child prostitution has voiced opposition to possible pardons of child molesters that could be among those granted to commemorate the Emperor's enthronement.
Tokyo-based "Lighthouse: Center for Human Trafficking Victims" had collected about 3,000 signatures on an online petition that it began in early November, which it plans to submit to the Justice Ministry in January.
Pardons granted upon the enthronement are divided into two types. One is the "pardon by Cabinet decree," which reinstates suspended civil rights and state qualifications for offenders who have been convicted of a crime but only fined, regardless of the type of crime.
About 550,000 such offenders were pardoned in late October. The Justice Ministry has not revealed details of the 550,000, but said sex offenders are possibly included.
The other type is the "special pardon," for which all convicted criminals, including those who did not qualify for the Cabinet decree pardons, can apply.
The ministry's national offenders rehabilitation commission will scrutinize the applications and decide if the applicants' rights should be reinstated, depending on their individual circumstances.
Applications will be accepted through Jan. 21, 2020. The ministry has not disclosed the number of applicants it has received so far, nor the types of crimes involved.
Established in 2004, Light House has been actively involved in consultation and support for sexually abused youth and children, especially those tricked into appearing in adult videos and child pornography. In many cases, they believed they would be working as models and had signed illegitimate contracts.
The organization receives more than 100 requests annually for consultation from such victims, who are not limited to Japanese women. Men and foreigners have also sought advice.
"Sexual crimes against children or youth are easily overlooked as it is difficult for victims to raise their voices, and those caught committing these crimes represent only the tip of the iceberg. Even those who possess a large amount of videos and images of child pornography and are clearly addicted to it can get away with a fine for a first offense," said Lighthouse director Shihoko Fujiwara.
"In this situation, it is problematic to restore the perpetrators' civil status and state qualifications, such as doctors and nurses, enabling them to possibly work with children."
The campaign has been supported by children's rights groups and others, and is gaining popularity through word of mouth.
The current pardons marking a celebratory occasion of the Imperial family were the first since the wedding of Emperor and Empress in 1993. Although pardons have the aspect of encouraging criminals to make a successful return to society, public sentiment is negative; according to a national opinion poll conducted by The Yomiuri Shimbun in late October, more than half of those polled said they disapprove of the pardons.
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