1st Edition

Juries in the Japanese Legal System The Continuing Struggle for Citizen Participation and Democracy

By Dimitri Vanoverbeke Copyright 2015
232 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

232 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

232 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
by Routledge

Trial by jury is not a fundamental part of the Japanese legal system, but there has been a recent important move towards this with the introduction in 2009 of the lay assessor system whereby lay people sit with judges in criminal trials. This book considers the debates in Japan which surround this development. It examines the political and socio-legal contexts, contrasting the view that the... Read more

Introduction Part 1: Trial by jury and judicial reforms in Japan: setting the scene 1. Policy making and judicial reforms in contemporary Japan: The context of the trial by jury Part 2: Trial by jury in a historical context 2. Early experiences with the trial by jury: Japan’s struggle with modernization 3. Revolution failed? The Taishō jury system (1928-1943) 4. Japan’s postwar discourse and experiences with the trial by jury Part 3: Trial by jury in contemporary Japan 5. The dynamics of the mixed-jury system (saiban’in) in contemporary Japan: drafting, content and practice 6. The saiban’in juror in the criminal court: on becoming a good citizen? Conclusion

Biography

Dimitri Vanoverbeke is Professor of Japanese Studies at the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.