What is judicial corruption score in Japan?

Judicial corruption score in Japan was 2.68 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Japan?

The highest recorded value was 2.76 in 1958.

What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Japan?

The lowest recorded value was 1.57 in 1789.

How does Japan rank for judicial corruption score?

Japan ranks 8th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.

Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Japan?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.

Where does this Japan data come from?

The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Judicial Corruption Score in Japan

Name: Judicial Corruption Score in Japan
Creator: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

Japan: Judicial Corruption Score was 2.68 in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)

2.68

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

8th

of 176 countries

All-time high

2.76

in 1958

All-time low

1.57

in 1789

Years of data

237

1789–2025

Judicial Corruption Score in Japan, 1789–2025

Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2025, judicial corruption score in Japan stood at 2.68.

Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, judicial corruption score in Japan peaked at 2.76 in 1958 and was at its lowest, 1.57, in 1789.

Japan ranks 8th of 176 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 237 years of available data.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1780s	1.57	1.57	1.57	1
1790s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1800s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1810s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1820s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1830s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1840s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1850s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1860s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1870s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1880s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1890s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1900s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1910s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1920s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1930s	1.57	1.57	1.57	10
1940s	1.8	1.57	2.72	10
1950s	2.64	1.88	2.76	10
1960s	2.76	2.76	2.76	10
1970s	2.76	2.76	2.76	10
1980s	2.52	1.88	2.68	10
1990s	2.68	2.68	2.68	10
2000s	2.68	2.68	2.68	10
2010s	2.68	2.68	2.68	10
2020s	2.68	2.68	2.68	6

Countries ranked near Japan

See the full ranking of 176 places →

More social development data for Japan

Political Rights Rating 1 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of asy 42,450 (2025)
Refugees under the mandate of the UNHCR by country or territory of ori 56 (2025)
Electoral democracy 1 (2025)
Key features of democracy 0.819 (2025)
Freedom of Expression Index 0.847 (2025)
Freedom of Association Index 0.924 (2025)
Electoral Democracy Index 0.819 (2025)
Participatory Democracy Index 0.526 (2025)
Liberal Democracy Index 0.734 (2025)

All data for Japan →

Frequently asked questions

What is judicial corruption score in Japan?: Judicial corruption score in Japan was 2.68 in 2025, according to V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest judicial corruption score recorded in Japan?: The highest recorded value was 2.76 in 1958.
What is the lowest judicial corruption score recorded in Japan?: The lowest recorded value was 1.57 in 1789.
How does Japan rank for judicial corruption score?: Japan ranks 8th out of 176 countries with data for 2025.
Is judicial corruption score rising or falling in Japan?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Japan data come from?: The figures come from V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Judicial Corruption Score. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 237 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Judicial Corruption Score
Source: V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 176 places, 25,711 data points, 1789–2025
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

Data by V-Dem. Expert estimates of how often individuals or businesses make undocumented extra payments or bribes to obtain a favorable judicial decision, or speed up or delay the process. Higher scores mean less corruption. A score of 0 is approximately the average across all countries and years.