"We treat and punish them the same way," he said.
As a signatory to the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, Japan respects human rights, said Satoru Ohashi, assistant director in the Justice Ministry's security division.
"But may be foreigners looking at our system might think it is too strict," Ohashi conceded.
Japan's Prison Code, a dated document promulgated in 1908, was under review, but it was likely to be some time before any reforms were made, he said.
Fundamentally, say embassies in Japan, rules are rules and although deviations are tolerated to a point, once someone crosses a certain line the heavy hand of the law comes crashing down.
"One of the misapprehensions is that I can call in the Queen's gunboat and steam up the river [to rescue someone]," said British consulate Alan Sutton.
"That is absolutely wrong ... all I can do is advise."
The best way to beat the system is to play along with it, confided a foreign lawyer in Tokyo who has helped a number of foreigners avoid charges.
"The key to having a charge dropped is to show you are terribly sorry for what you have done and that you will do everything in your power to compensate the person you have wronged," said the lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous.
For Kalia, money talked, and she was allowed to walk free after her husband paid off the man in whose space she parked.
"This experience has changed my whole opinion of Japan," she said.
"I can't wait until the day I leave. They really need to change as they can't continue to treat people like this."
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