Wrongful Conviction Studies — 冤罪学
Learning about—and from— wrongful convictions.
西 愛礼Yoshiyuki Nishi
Attorney (Goto & Shinyu Law Office, Osaka Bar Association) and former judge. Graduate of Stanford Law School (SPILS). He founded and advances Wrongful Conviction Studies（冤罪学）, working on the causes, prevention, and remedy of wrongful convictions through both practice and scholarship.
Wrongful Conviction Studies
Research
To err is human. That is precisely why we study past wrongful convictions, and learn from them.
Turning the lessons of past injustice into prevention and remedy — Wrongful Conviction Studies.
Why do wrongful convictions occur?
Causes
冤罪原因論
Why do false confessions and mistaken eyewitness accounts arise? Unpacking the mechanisms that lead to wrongful convictions, drawing also on the insights of psychology.
How can they be prevented?
Prevention
冤罪予防論
Building on the lessons of past cases to design safeguards — in both institutions and practice — so that the same errors are not repeated.
How can the wrongfully convicted be rescued?
Exoneration
冤罪救済論
A wrongful conviction can still be corrected. Mapping the avenues of relief, including retrial, and working toward swifter exoneration.
Biography
Profile
From the bench to the defense bar — confronting the structure of wrongful convictions from both sides of the courtroom.
西 愛礼Yoshiyuki Nishi
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2025 — 2026
Stanford Law School, SPILS
Fulbright–Mikitani Memorial Scholarship
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2024 — present
Attorney, Goto & Shinyu Law Office
Defense teams including the Kadokawa Tokyo Olympics bribery case and the Kadokawa "hostage justice" constitutional lawsuit
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2021 — 2023
Attorney, Shinyu Law Office
Criminal defense including the Pressance wrongful conviction case
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2019 — 2021
Attorney, Anderson Mōri & Tomotsune
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2016 — 2019
Judge, Criminal Division, Chiba District Court
Presided over multiple acquittals
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2010 — 2014
LL.B., Hitotsubashi University
Awards
- 2025Commendation for Innovative Legal Practice, Japan Federation of Bar Associations
- 2024Grand Prize, New Face Award, Quarterly Keiji-Bengo (criminal defense journal)
- 2023Moriya Research Encouragement Award for Enzai-gaku: Anatomy of Innocence
Affiliations
- 2025 —Law and Society Association
- 2022 —Japanese Society for Law and Psychology / Criminal Law Society of Japan
- 2021 —Innocence Project Japan (management & support)
Selected Works in English
Publications
Articles 論文
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2026
The Structure of Contributing Factors in Wrongful Convictions in Japan
- 2025
Presentations 学会報告
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2026
Creating and Analyzing a Japanese Wrongful Convictions Database
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2026
Building a Comparative Landscape for Wrongful Conviction Databases in Asia
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2023
Current Status and Issues of Research on Causes of Wrongful Convictions and Countermeasures in Japan
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2023
The Death Penalty and Wrongful Convictions in Japan
For the complete list of publications in Japanese, see researchmap. Full CV available upon request.
Books
Books
The causes and prevention of wrongful convictions, from both scholarship and practice.
Enzai-gaku: Anatomy of Innocence
Book details →
Wrongful Convictions: Why Do People Err?
Book details →
冤罪學 (Traditional Chinese edition)
Book details →
Lessons from the Hakamada Case (co-author)
Book details →Contact
Contact
Inquiries regarding interviews, lectures, research collaboration, and donations.
* For legal representation, please contact Goto & Shinyu Law Office directly. Requests for representation are not accepted through this site.
researchmap→