Prison work is mainly carried out by the inmates sentenced to imprisonment with labor and fine defaulters in workhouses,who are obliged to engage in work under the Penal Code.In addition,some voluntary work is also undertaken by the inmates sentenced to imprisonment without labor,untried inmates and others,who are not obliged to engage in work.As of March31,2005,93.4%of the inmates sentenced to imprisonment without labor were engaged in voluntary work(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).
  The primary purpose of prison work is to nurture a willingness to work among inmates,teach them vocational knowledge and skills,and develop their endurance and concentration.The forms of prison work are divided,according to their nature and purpose,into production work,vocational training,and work for sustaining institutions.The work to sustain the operations of an institution includes cooking,laundry,cleaning(maintenance work),and construction work such as repair of the buildings of the institution.Categories in the production work include woodwork,printing,tailoring,metalwork,etc.An inmate is assigned to a work category in accordance with his/her individual aptitude.Prison work is carried out not only inside penal institutions,but also in outside work sites under the management of a prison and in ordinary work sites with the cooperation of private companies.
  Outside work is conducted by inmates staying overnight at the work site and by inmates traveling to the work site from penal institutions.The types of outside work are mainly agriculture,livestock farming,and shipbuilding etc.

  The working hours of inmates in prison work are eight hours per day and40hours per week with Saturdays,Sundays,national holidays,and year-end and new-year holidays off.
To improve the working environment,safety and health of inmates,measures are taken in line with the principles of the Labor Standards Law,the Industrial Safety and Health Law,and others.
In FY2004,the average daily number of inmates engaged in prison work was about58,000,and the amount of revenue from prison work was about¥6.5billion(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).
  All revenue from prison work becomes national revenue,and work remuneration is paid to those who engage in the work.The work remuneration is benevolence from the state rather than as a wage for labor,and in principle paid to an inmate upon his/her release.The(budgeted)average monthly remuneration per inmate in FY2004was about¥4,050(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).For inmates released in2004,29.0%of them received more than50,000yen of the work remuneration,while21.4%of them received10,000yen or less(Source:Annual Report of Statistics on Correction).
  Inmates are also allowed to engage in personal work in their spare time,under certain conditions,to yield income.As of March31,2005,11inmates were engaged in such work,yielding an average monthly income of¥992per inmate(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).

  
Vocational training is designed to teach inmates the skills needed for vocations or to improve their already-acquired skills.
There are three forms of vocational training,namely general training,group training,and internal training.
General training is implemented for eligible inmates,who were selected from penal institutions nationwide,in eight designated facilities(the Yamagata,Fukui,Yamaguchi and Matsuyama Prisons as well as the Hakodate,Kawagoe,Nara and Saga Juvenile Prisons).
Group training and internal training are implemented in each Regional Correction Headquarters and in each facility respectively,selecting eligible inmates.In FY2004,there are19group training facilities and26internal training facilities(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).
Vocational training is given on21topics,including welding,electrical engineering,car maintenance,construction,printing,woodcraft,construction machinery,and welfare caretaker,etc.In FY2004,2,097inmates completed vocational training,and obtained a total of2,271qualifications or licenses as welding technicians,electricians,auto mechanics,and so forth(Source:The Correction Bureau,Ministry of Justice).