japans-prisons-set-upgrade-foreign-language-translation-system-inmates

"If more visitors from overseas come to Japan, it's possible that the number of (non-Japanese) inmates will increase," Dai Tanaka, an official in the ministry's prison services division, said while providing one reason for introducing the new video phone service. Since the number of approved translators are limited, prisons have sometimes faced challenges when responding to visitation requests by inmates' families, Tanaka said. Language experts at Fuchu Prison have been testing the new video phone translation system since last August. According to Tanaka, there are currently 76 major detention facilities in the nation, including prisons, facilities for juveniles and detention centers.