Without a passport, probably, that’s true, if you contact country officials. But without customs clearance and border security check it can be a criminal offense.

An offense can simultaneously be both criminal and minor.

There‘s no such thing as „minor“ offense in some legal systems, so it’s better to check the law which applies in this specific case.

Normally it should be a fine at most.

Now crossing the border with no passport to escape another country's judiciary system is a whole different aggravating circumstance.

From a legal standpoint the country you're entering wouldn't typically consider that an aggravating circumstance. Lebanon and Turkey aren't responsible for enforcing Japan's laws.

That’s basically the definition of refugees seeking refuge and legally protected rather than aggravating.

That’s true, but if the refugee status is not confirmed later, it still can be qualified as a criminal offense (that’s the case in Germany and Russia, for example).

I figure most countries at that point focus on deportation rather than imprisonment.

They’d probably be perfectly happy if you skipped out to another country while awaiting the process.

And bail is likely if your record’s been clean while you’re awaiting the process (unless they found something they really didn’t like).

I guess the only real consequence is if you tried to immigrate there later.

Yes and no. Imprisonment costs money to the taxpayers, but it may also serve as deterrence. https://www.loc.gov/law/help/illegal-entry/chart.php?loclr=e...