We also make jail visits (接見) to police stations in Tokyo (the 23 wards and the Tama area), Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama. (Area pages are in Japanese.)
* The first telephone consultation is free of charge.
Kento Araki, Attorney at Law
If even one of these applies to you, please talk to us before it is too late.
The police called, but you cannot meet the person and have no idea what is happening. You want someone to see them and hear their account right away.
You are anxious about what to say in the questioning (取調べ). You want advice before you appear.
You want to settle with the victim and resolve things amicably before a case is opened. But you do not even know how to contact them.
You want the matter to end in non-prosecution (不起訴) without your employer or family finding out, and to avoid consequences such as dismissal or expulsion.
Please do not carry that worry alone.
The first consultation is free. Start by telling us where things stand.
The law sets strict time limits on custody after an arrest. (Japanese)
As a rule even family members cannot visit. Only a lawyer can meet the person freely. How the first questioning is handled has a large bearing on the outcome.
Whether release can be won here is the first branching point. The lawyer immediately works to prevent detention.
Long custody makes consequences for work or school hard to avoid. We seek early release through a quasi-appeal (準抗告) and similar steps.
If the case ends in non-prosecution (不起訴), no criminal record (前科) results. This is the moment when the defense work toward non-prosecution, such as reaching a settlement (示談), is tested.
This site is a consultation desk focused on criminal cases. From molestation and voyeurism to bodily injury, drugs and fraud, we explain the outlook concretely, drawing on the investigative practice and sentencing range for each offense. We aim to clear up the anxiety of not knowing what will happen at the very first consultation.
We accept consultation bookings 365 days a year. In arrest cases we head to the police station immediately after being instructed, advise the person on how to handle the questioning (取調べ), promptly report to the family on the jail visit (接見), and pass on any message.
In cases with a victim, a sincere settlement with the victim (示談) is the key factor in obtaining non-prosecution (不起訴) and avoiding a criminal record (前科). Contact details that cannot be given to the accused are in many cases disclosed to the lawyer alone, and our office acts as the point of contact and negotiates patiently.
Consultations take place in a fully private room, with the lawyer hearing your account directly. Please feel free to speak about sensitive matters. Lawyers are under a strict duty of confidentiality, and we accommodate requests to proceed without your family or workplace finding out.
Taking into account how the investigation proceeds and the likely outcome for each offense, we propose a defense strategy suited to your case.
Public nuisance ordinance violations / photographing offenses and non-consensual indecency
Assault and bodily injury arising from fights and disputes
Shoplifting, taking left-behind property, and self-checkout-related theft
Possession and use of cannabis, stimulants and similar drugs
Involvement in organized fraud, occupational embezzlement and similar cases
Non-consensual sexual intercourse, child prostitution, and disputes between partners
Negligent driving causing death or injury, hit-and-run, drunk driving
A child's arrest, police guidance, and dealing with the school
We can also help with offenses not listed above. Please feel free to get in touch.
By phone, email or LINE. Depending on how urgent the matter is, we arrange a meeting or an online consultation promptly.
In a fully private room the lawyer hears your account directly and explains the likely outcome, the defense strategy and the fees.
Once you are satisfied, the engagement is concluded. We begin jail visits (接見), settlement negotiations and dealings with the investigating authorities at the earliest possible timing.
We stay with you until the goal is reached — release, non-prosecution (不起訴) or a suspended sentence (執行猶予) — and report on our activities at every stage.
If you cannot tell how much it will cost, you cannot instruct us with confidence. We provide a written estimate before the engagement. All amounts shown include tax.
The first telephone consultation is free of charge. If you instruct us, we explain in advance the fees set by our office, which are based on the (former) Japan Federation of Bar Associations' standards for remuneration.
Jail visits (接見) are ¥33,000〜 per visit.
Non-prosecution (不起訴): ¥330,000〜
Settlement with the victim (示談): ¥165,000〜
Early release (detention (勾留) request denied, quasi-appeal (準抗告) granted, bail (保釈) granted (Japanese), etc.): ¥220,000〜
* Actual expenses are charged separately. Fees for a case that goes to trial are agreed separately and set out in the engagement letter (lay judge trial (裁判員裁判): retainer fee ¥880,000〜 / success fee ¥880,000〜).
* In-office consultations are ¥5,500 (tax included) per 30 minutes. The amount is the same for the first and later consultations. The first telephone consultation is free of charge.
* Settlement money and compensation paid to the victim are separate from the lawyer's fees and need to be prepared by you.
* We accept credit cards (VISA and MasterCard). Payment in full or in instalments is possible.
* The amounts above are a guide. They may differ depending on the case, so please check at your consultation.
A criminal case can happen to anyone, one day without warning. “I never thought it would be me”, “I never thought it would be my family” — the first words we hear are always the same. And in the middle of a case, it is anxiety, rather than accurate knowledge, that grows first.
I put my energy into criminal defense because it is a field where the way a lawyer moves can change the rest of a person's life. Release even a day earlier, a resolution that leaves no criminal record (前科), sincere amends to the victim. All of these turn on what is done in the first 72 hours. That is why I take calls late at night and consultations on holidays seriously.
No worry is too small. I am here to protect you, not to scold you. Start by telling me, in your own words, what happened.
Kento Araki, Attorney at Law
If coming to the office is difficult, online consultations and visits to you are also available.
One phone call sets things in motion. Late at night or on a holiday. A lawyer focused on criminal cases is waiting for your call.
Mentioning that you saw the website helps things go smoothly
* The first telephone consultation is free of charge. Online consultations are also available.
* You can also use the Japanese inquiry form.
