Free Legal Consultation Service Expanding for Japanese Abroad

Tokyo, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Foreign Ministry is working to expand a support system that allows Japanese nationals and their families abroad who have become victims of crimes to consult local lawyers free of charge. The initiative was first introduced in China last year and has since been launched in the Philippines and Thailand. The ministry aims to make the service available in more and more countries, particularly focusing on nations with many incidents and large numbers of consultations. The system was established in the wake of an incident in which a Japanese boy was stabbed to death in the Chinese city of Shenzhen in September 2024. As the bereaved family faced difficulties navigating legal procedures that differ from those in Japan, the ministry began to consider offering Japanese-language lawyer consultations and launched the program in China in January 2025. The ministry assumes that the service is available mainly to victims of serious crimes such as murder, bodily injury, assault, domestic violence, nonconsensual sexual intercourse and indecent assault. Those seeking assistance can apply through a Japanese diplomatic mission abroad to receive from lawyers explanations on how to submit victim reports and on investigation and trial procedures, as well as advice on seeking damages and compensation. “The number of consultations is increasing, and there is demand,” a government official said. Due to budget constraints, however, free consultations are limited to three sessions per case. A list of local lawyers will be provided upon request. The initiative was rolled out in the Philippines in May this year and in Thailand last month. The launch in the two Southeast Asian countries was prompted by a shooting incident in the Philippines in August 2025 that killed two Japanese nationals and the fact that Thailand recorded the highest number of incidents in 2025 in which government support was provided. “Criminal cases are especially common in Asia,” a senior Foreign Ministry official said. Crimes and accidents involving Japanese citizens as victims have been prevalent in recent years. In 2025, Japanese nationals received government support in 12,239 cases abroad. Of the total, 5,633 cases were in Asia, with 705 involving crime victims. “Awareness of the system is still low,” a Foreign Ministry official said. “We want victims, including those of domestic violence and sexual assault, to consult Japanese diplomatic missions first.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]