Former Abashiri Prison

Abasiri prison is the northernmost prison in Japan that is located in Abashiri, Hokkaido prefecture, opening in 1890 (Meiji 23). While the name of Abasiri is originally the name of a city where the prison is located, most Japanese people would imagine Abashiri prison when they hear the name. That prison has also been known as the most inescapable prison in Japan. That is because Abashiri prison was made to accommodate prisoners who have strong criminal tendency.   

Above photo is the former prison's entrance. It has been relocated to another place and publicly opened as a museum. Current prison is still existing where the former one had been, of course being renovated its appearance. However, both of them have the same entrance design even though there is a statue of prison guard in front of former one's entrance. Abashiri prison museum has been in business since 1983, being managed by a private-sector fund.

The entrance of current  prison. There is no statue different from former one.

In the first place, there were scarcely Japanese people in Hokkaido until the end of Edo period. Ainu race was the major and indigenous people of Hokkaido. It was like Native American in North American continent. When Maiji new government took over the administration of Japan, they thought to develop Hokkaido and started it by exploiting prisoners. Those prisoners were transferred from other Japanese islands to the island of Hokkaido, being worn red uniforms.  

They were dispatched to the barren land and forced to work to construct their own bed room. About two hundred prisoners died during the construction work and more than a thousand people were lost. The reason why Meiji government so desperately tackled the development of Hokkaido is to defend Japan from Russia's southward expansion strategy, and to exploit there natural resources to strengthen Japan's national power. In that era, there was a record number of 89,000 prisoners because it was a turbulent period.

As for the former Abashiri prison's structure, five building are arranged in a radial pattern, centering a watch house. That structure reportedly imitated that of Leuven prison, a prison located in Leuven, Belguim. On the other hand, current prison has a plain structure of some rectangle buildings. It is located with its back against a vast forrest, facing a city beyond a river. This location is clearly intended to prevent prisoners from breaking out of the prison.