Law and Order

While Japan itself is a constitutional democracy, in regards to how one is treated by law enforcement, Japan can be a little more authoritarian in a citizen's day-to-day life than some players may be used to.

On the one hand, Japanese police tend to be more prosocial and have more public trust. Part of this is because of 'kōban,' or police boxes--essentially mini-police stations staffed by a small number of community police officers. Because these officers stand guard and do patrol in their community as part of their duties, one can quickly and easily go to one for help, from public disturbances to thieves to just getting directions, and actually expect to get it. Police officers are seen as being there to protect the people.

On the other hand, citizens do not enjoy the same civil rights that many in Western countries take for granted. Being in the wrong place, looking suspicious, or just not fitting in might have local police decide to make contact. Being uncooperative, or simply providing answers they don't want to hear, may get you taken to that police box for further questioning. The right to remain silent is enshrined in the Japanese constitution, but police are not under the same obligation to make certain someone in custody knows their rights or see them protected. This means an interrogation can be continued, even should one invoke the right. While the law states that one is 'innocent until proven guilty,' there is an overwhelming bias towards the idea that if you were troublesome enough that the cops had to detain you, you're guilty; or in other words, because the police are trusted by average citizens, if you get on their bad side, you must have done something to deserve it.

The same holds true in the courts. Many games like the Ace Attorney series cheekily reference the 99% real-life conviction rate, and that exists for a reason. Prosecutors won't bring any case to court without absolute certainty. However, as the conviction rate implies, once in court, it is entirely rigged in their favor from the overwhelming societal bias that only guilty people are arrested and convicted.

This is especially important in a Persona game, because often the narrative portrays the police as having trouble convicting perpetrators of crimes with supernatural elements. If you can't prove it in court, then it probably won't be brought to court. Most prosecutors are fully unwilling to take that gamble because their career truly is on the line. If you bring a trial to court, and the person is acquitted, it is a black mark for attempting to convict someone innocent.

Ren Amamiya in Persona 5's intro is convicted speedily of assault, despite his obvious innocence. We see in the game how even a minor crime now follows Ren around and shapes how his peers and other teachers treat him after a teacher with access to his private records has them leaked. The implications are quite clear: what happens to someone who truly is just the victim of corruption? Punishments might include it appearing on one's permanent record, time in juvenile hall, or for older adults, prison and, in extreme cases, even the death penalty.

It's important to note that Japan is by and large considered safer than many Western countries as a result of its cultural attitudes towards the collective order over individual rights. Whether one judges this as good or bad, it is true that most Japanese parents feel safe to let even young children find their own way to school or run errands on their own, because that atmosphere of public order and the collective good protects them.

Violent crime and even non-violent crime that makes the news feels like a much bigger deal than it might in other countries, because it was a large enough incident to disrupt that societal order. That doesn't mean citizens don't have opinions on when actions considered breaking the law are just or unjust, but it typically provokes a conversation.

Weapon Laws

In Japan, guns may only be legally carried by law enforcement, who have a strict limit on how much ammunition they can use per year. Licenses for civilians are strictly regulated for hunting and sport shooting only. The safety regulations that surround owning one are intense, and law enforcement can show up at any time to your home to make certain you're abiding by them.

This applies to actual bladed weapons as well, despite Japan's long history exalting the samurai. Traditional or modern weapons are outlawed in public without a valid reason for them. This can apply to anything from a samurai sword down to a Swiss army knife thanks to the Swords and Firearms Protection Act of 1958.