The family of an Australian grandmother detained in Japan on drug trafficking allegations insist she is a victim of a crime and not a criminal, as her high-stakes trial gets underway.
West Australian grandmother Donna Nelson was arrested for allegedly attempting to import drugs into Japan in Tokyo in January 2023.
The 58-year-old's family claim she is the victim of a romance scam and they're concerned about the prison conditions she has been held in prior to her trial, which will kick off on Monday at Chiba near Tokyo.
"Mum is the victim of a romance scam – she is the victim of crime, not a criminal," Ms Nelson's family said in a statement.
Strict communication rules means they've only been able to speak to Ms Nelson once since her arrest, with daughter Kristal Hilaire barred from talking to her mother after flying to Tokyo to attend a pre-trial hearing in July.
"We are really concerned about our Mum, her mental and physical health and the prison conditions she is being held in," her family said on Friday.
"Our Mum is such a social person, so it has been hard to think of her isolated in a cell each day in a country where she doesn’t know the language."
Ms Nelson is an Indigenous community leader and former WA Greens candidate who previously served as chair of Perth-based Aboriginal health service Derbarl Yerrigan.
Her tight-knit family say they want the eyes of the world, particularly Australians, on their mother's case.
"We place our faith in the court and the Japanese criminal justice system," they said.
"We hope that the judge will be able to see the case for what it is – that our mum is the victim of a crime not a criminal."
The family thanked the Australian embassy in Japan for support and revealed they rely on updates provided by lawyers and consular staff on their mother's wellbeing.
Prominent human rights barrister Jennifer Robinson has joined the National Justice Project to assist the family.
Japan's criminal justice system is notoriously strict with Human Rights Watch in 2023 highlighting a 99.8 per cent conviction rate in cases that go to trial.
The verdict is due to be handed down on December 4, 2024.
