Legal medicine and the death inquiry system in Japan: a comparative study

Abstract

In Japan, there are two different systems of death investigation: criminal inspection and judicial autopsy from a criminal justice standpoint and, from a public health standpoint, administrative inspection and either administrative or consent autopsy. As a result, it is sometimes unclear which system is responsible for investigating a death. In this study, the Japanese death inquiry system is compared with the coroner's system used in some other countries. One aim of a death inquiry is to prevent future loss of life in similar circumstances, which the Japanese system does not consider. The systematic reform of the Japanese death inquiry system is thought to be necessary.