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First
Proposal for Realizing a Humane Judicial System
(November 11, 2002)
Citizens’ Forum for Judicial System Reform |
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Recent
reforms of the judicial system form the core of other reforms
that have been pursued thus far, such as political and administrative
reforms, decentralization reforms, and regulation reforms,
and serve to link them under the authority of the law.
In a nutshell, the fundamental philosophy of the reforms is
to create a new and vibrant judicial system “for the
people” and “by the people”—a system that
would provide a foundation for creating a society free from
a bureaucracy-led government that has continued since the
Meiji era. In other words, they are structural reforms for
changing the constitution of the judicial system.
The government established the Office for Promotion of Justice
System Reform and is working to implement the reforms recommended
by its consultation group of experts. Today, as governmental
efforts are reaching a turning point, the Citizens’ Forum
for Judicial System Reform presents essential policies for
achieving a ‘humane’ judicial system readily accessible
by the people through these reforms. |
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| I.
Speeding up the judicial process—aiming to reach court
decisions within two years |
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| (1) |
Prompt submission
of a basic law for expediting court proceedings |
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| (2) |
Establishment
of a planned hearing system in civil trials |
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| (3) |
Breaking away
from a meticulous judicial process in criminal trials—toward
a court-oriented system |
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| (4) |
Simplification
of judgment documents |
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| (5) |
Promoting the
appointment of judges from among practicing lawyers |
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| (6) |
Increasing the
number of legal professionals |
| 2.
Incorporating public participation in the legal system—adopting
a “quasi-jury” system composed of one judge and
eleven jurors |
| 3.
Allowing more than 3,000 people to pass the bar exam—creating
an accessible legal system |
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| (1) |
Aiming to have
more than 3,000 people pass the bar exam yearly |
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| (2) |
Achieving approximately
5,000 law school graduates yearly |
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| (3) |
Abolition of
the current legal training system |
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