For those interested in this, there is a very good Japanese movie whose English title is "I just didn't do it". "Based on a true story, the film focuses on the story of a young man charged with groping on a train. Following the events depicted in the film, he was confirmed innocent and saved from his effective imprisonment after a five-year legal battle." [1]
You'll find in this movie exactly what the parent describes, the apology culture as well as how difficult the system makes it for you once you've been accused of an offense.
Talking about movies, albeit a different kind, swedish movie kopps is a comedy about a city so devoid of crime, the agents starts to make up things to keep their job.
Even though this is really off-topic, Kopps is a great movie, as is Jalla Jalla by the same director the latter being even more off-topic as it has nothing to do with crime nor Japan but is instead a romantic comedy set in Sweden.
You'll find in this movie exactly what the parent describes, the apology culture as well as how difficult the system makes it for you once you've been accused of an offense.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Just_Didn%27t_Do_It