Beginning in the Meiji period, the government of the Empire of Japan detained Japanese suspected of political dissidence. Political prisoners in Imperial Japan were released as a result of the fall of the Empire of Japan after World War II, and the policies of the Allied occupation of Japan.
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Meiji period – Shōwa period
In 1925, the Peace Preservation Law was passed. Article 1 of the law stipulates that:
"Anyone who organises an association with the objective of change the kokutai or denying the private property system, or who joins such an association with full knowledge of its objectives, shall be liable to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding ten years."
Only about 5,000 out of more than 740,00 suspected violators of the Peace Preservation Law between 1928 and 1941 were prosecuted.
Those who recanted were either released or received short prison terms.
On 4 October 1945, the GHQ issued the Removal of Restrictions on Political, Civil, and Religious Liberties directive, which stipulated the release of political prisoners. It was estimated that 3,000 to 2,500 political prisoners were in prison by the end of the war. Following the release of political prisoners on 10 October 1945, the GHQ enacted the "Restoration of Electoral Rights to Released Political Prisoners."