National penalties - life imprisonment

Japan

Japan - Penal Code 1907 (2020) EN/Japanese

PART I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Chapter II Punishments

(Imprisonment)
Article 12 (1) Imprisonment is either for life or with a definite term, and the definite term of imprisonment is not less than one month but not more than 20 years.
(2) Imprisonment consists of confinement in a penal institution with assigned work.

(Imprisonment without Work)
Article 13 (1) Imprisonment without work is either for life or for a definite term, and a definite term of imprisonment without work is not less than one month but not more than 20 years.
(2) Imprisonment without work consists of confinement in a penal institution.

PART I. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Chapter IX Consolidated Punishments

(Restriction on Cumulative Imposition of Punishments)
Article 46 (1) When a death penalty is rendered for one of the crimes for consolidated punishments, no other punishments except confiscation may be imposed.
(2) When a punishment of life imprisonment or imprisonment without work is to be rendered for one of the crimes for consolidated punishment, no other punishment except a fine, petty fine and confiscation may be imposed.

PART II CRIMES

Chapter XXVI Crimes of Homicide

(Homicide)
Article 199 A person who kills another person is punished by the death penalty or imprisonment for life or for a definite term of not less than 5 years.

Rome Statute

Article 77 Applicable penalties

1. Subject to article 110, the Court may impose one of the following penalties on a person convicted of a crime referred to in article 5 of this Statute:

(a) Imprisonment for a specified number of years, which may not exceed a maximum of 30 years; or

(b) A term of life imprisonment when justified by the extreme gravity of the crime and the individual circumstances of the convicted person.