As of June 2005 Nils is in the Tokyo Detention Centre (TDC) where, having just lost his appeal, will shortly be transferred to Fuchu where he is scheduled to serve 8 years with hard labour.

He has always protested his innocence and did not receive a fair trial.

Name:	Nils Taft
Nationality:	British
Age:	40
Date of Birth:	22-03-1965
Date Sentence Started:	Nils was arrested August 2004. After maximum period in Tokyo Airport Detention Centre was sent to Chiba awaiting trial. Convicted in december 2004 to 8 years hard labor and a fine of 3 million yen (approx. 22,750 euros). Appealed. Sent to Tokyo Detention Centre January 2005. Appeal rejected 2 weeks (June 2005) ago. Awaiting transfer to a prison, not yet identified.

Nils is 40, single, no children and was living in Kuala Lumpur from where he had been a regular visitor to Japan on business (import/export IT products).

He was arrested at Tokyo International airport in August last year for being in possession of 250 grammes of amphetamines. He protested his innocence. He was detained for the maximum period of 23 days in solitary confinement for interrogation, without access to legal representation and only one visit from the British Consul at the outset. He says he was 'encouraged' to sign documents in Japanese without any translation 'for his own good'. He was then sent to Chiba to await trial. During the subsequent trial hearings he says his evidence was either not accepted or incorrectly translated (although he doesn't speak Japanese).

He said his court-appointed counsel was totally ineffective and what he (Nils) said in court was turned against him. He contiued to protest his innocence insisting that he had no knowledge of the secret compartment in the computer bag. He asked the court to hear supportive evidence from Malaysia but this was refused. He wanted to hire a private attorney and had two 'pro bono' sessions with one, but we couldn't afford the necessary fees.

On 22nd December 2004 he was finally convicted, found guilty and sentenced to 8 years' imprisonement plus a fine of 3 million yen (approx. 22,750 euros) to be worked off in a factory, thus adding another year to his sentence. He said that his court appointed lawyer thought the sentence excessively heavy, even assuming he was guilty. But he, like others before him, clearly never had a fair trial. We understand that once sent for trial 99% of all defendants are found guilty as the Japanese judicial system is predicated entirely on guilty verdicts (i.e. judges / attorneys are promoted on the number of guilty verdicts and the rare 'not guilty' verdicts go against them). There are no juries.

The most helpful thing people can do is to write to their local MP, MEP, their Ambassador to Japan, their national Foreign Office etc. drawing attention to the iniquitous judicial system that prevails in Japan, demanding fair trials and better, more humane prison facilities. After all, Japan is not a 3rd World Country but a member of G8, a major trading partner and an aspiring member of the UN Security Council.

There is a Prisoner Transfer Treaty between the UK and Japan which enables prisoners to be returned to the UK having served one third of their sentence and paid off their fine in its entirety. Nils would need to raise funds to pay off his fine, and would have to serve some time in prison in Japan before transfer would be considered

Prisoner WT 7404
HMP Wandsworth
Heathfield Road
Wandsworth
London SW18 3HS

This is just to let you know that he has a birthday on 22nd March 2007 when he'll be 42. If you feel like sending him a card his address is:

Nils Taft
Osaka Prison
6-1 Tadei-cho
Sakai-shi
Osaka 590-0014
Japan.

John :-)

JOHN TAFT
[Father of Nils Taft]

It is now possible for Nils to receive mail from everybody but he is only allowed to write one letter a month to one person at this stage. Nils reports that he shares a cell with two other inmates and it is clean. He doesn't have to sleep on the floor anymore and they even have TV.

Letter of support can be addressed as follows:

Mr. Nils Taft [UK Prisoner]
Osaka Prison
6-1 Tadei-cho
Sakai-shi
Osaka 590-0014
Japan

Nils Taft is another young British man who has been tried in a judicial system that believes all detainees are guilty. Since the entire Japanese court procedure is based on guilt, all participating lawyers are on the same side and win no favours for trying to get acquittals.