Tokyo Detention House, Correctional facility in Katsushika, Japan
Tokyo Detention House is a correctional facility in Kosuge, Katsushika, with separate sections for those awaiting trial, convicted prisoners, and individuals under death sentence. The complex includes multiple buildings with cells, administrative wings, and security zones spread across a large fenced compound.
The center opened in 1879 under the Ministry of Justice and has served as a correctional facility for Tokyo ever since. It is one of seven Japanese prisons legally authorized to carry out death sentences.
A Kannon statue stands beside the execution chamber, representing Buddhist mercy during the final moments of those condemned. Visitors cannot enter, but the figure shows how traditional religious symbols remain part of modern correctional settings.
The compound is not open to visitors except in special cases such as authorized legal visits or official inspections. The facility holds more than three thousand inmates and has been monitored by a specialized security team since 2019.
The execution chamber uses three buttons pressed simultaneously by different staff members so that no one knows who activated the mechanism. This system aims to reduce the psychological burden on those involved by sharing responsibility.
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