Despite a popular notion, more thorough implementation of Japanese criminal justice policies in the US would not result in the extremely low crime rate that Japan experiences. This is for the reason that the cultures and lifestyles of these places differ far too greatly. The Japanese criminal justice system reflects its American counterpart greatly, which is widely unknown by those who make a comparison (Castberg 1990: 1-2). However, the Japan we see today has been shaped by centuries of traditions and religious law through Empirical rule. The United States, however, was formed quite recently relative to the long history of Japan, and as such has developed a culture of vast difference. The "newer" American culture has created a criminal justice system devoid of religion and ancient practice through Constitutional obligation. America also tends to be more liberal and tailored for the individual, the total opposite of the overall Japanese mindset. Therefore, a system structured more upon the practices of the Japanese could never yield the same results in the US as in its country of origin.
             The most important thing to note when researching Japanese policy in any field is that what seems to be one thing on the surface is often something else entirely. The Japanese criminal justice program seems, at first glance, to be the same as its American counterpart. The penal code and code of criminal procedure are nearly word-for-word to their United States equivalents. Sections of the Japanese Constitution concerning criminal procedure also greatly mirror the US Bill of Rights. Part of this is because many Japanese codes were written by Americans and other westerners after World War 2. Despite modernization from the west, the long history of the justice system is still distinctly apparent in Japan.
             Of course, Japanese law was not always influenced by foreign law. Early Japanese law was largely based on the country's religion of Taoism. There ...