Why is Japan’s prosecution rate so absurdly high at 99.8%?

Question

I’ve heard people say that lawyers only choose to prosecute cases that they know they might win, but isn’t that true for lawyers in basically any country, anywhere?

EDIT: I meant conviction rate in the title.

In: Other

Answer 1

Actual ELI5:

If you only prosecute cases very likely to lead to a conviction, more of them will lead to a conviction.

If you prosecute more “weak” cases, including some that are less likely to lead to a conviction, more people will be acquitted or found not guilty.

There are also cultural factors.