VOX POPULI: After 16 years, citizen judge system needs to keep evolving
A courtroom at the newly renovated Tsu District Court in Mie Prefecture on March 6 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
A scene from 'Kasai no Hito' (Family Court Judge), a manga published 32 years ago, depicts a 'court of the future.'
At the counter of an "izakaya"-style watering hole, a male defendant blurts out to the proprietor who is a judge, 'When I was walking the back streets, I just got sick and tired of everything.'
The judge tells him, 'Everybody feels totally desolate at times.'
Interestingly, the story's setting is that this 'court of the future' was established by the Supreme Court to change the 'authoritarian judicial system dating to the Meiji Era (1868-1912).'
As the judge keeps lending a sympathetic ear to the defendant, the latter breaks down in tears and promises to turn his life around.
Apparently satisfied with the result, the judge notes, 'If you are always good and righteous, you'll start drifting away from society.'
Jinpachi Mori (1958-2015), the creator of this manga, was deeply committed to reforming the judicial system in real life.
A supporter of 'saiban-in seido' or the citizen judge system, Mori held that 'the people who will be most relieved and made happy by this system are the judges themselves.'
He went on to explain that the system will give the judges a chance to receive inspiration from citizens and win their trust by showing them what they can do.
On May 21, the citizen judge system turned 16.
Over the years, about 130,000 citizens have participated, most of whom found the experience to be 'favorable,' according to a survey by the Supreme Court.
Has this made the judges 'happy'?
In a story in The Asahi Shimbun, the judges said they found the citizens' viewpoints 'refreshing.' And many judges made positive remarks, such as that they are cautioning themselves against taking trials for granted.
I hope they are being honest. I am relieved that the initial doubts, voiced in certain quarters about the ability of ordinary citizens to act as judges, have proven unfounded.
However, given the fact that nearly 70 percent of people who were called up for service have declined, I realize how difficult it is for the system to take root.
When all is said and done, courts still remain unfamiliar places for the general public. I won't say they should become as 'approachable' as izakaya, but I wish they would become less distant.
—The Asahi Shimbun, May 22
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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
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