Reforming Japan's justice system - 04 Dec 08

Japan's legal system has come under increasing scrutiny following the exposure of several miscarriages of justice.
But there are signs of change as ordinary citizens sit with judges to adjudicate criminal cases.
Al Jazeera's Tony Cheng reports from Tokyo.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• japan
• criminal
• justice
• reform
• tony
• cheng
• aljazeera

[MondoBeno]

The US criminal justice system isn't fair either. If you can't afford a lawyer, you get a shitty Public Defender who doesn't have the resources to mount a good defense. But if you have money (like Robert Durst, Robert Blake, or O.J. Simpson) you can get off light. Incompetent low-price lawyers are a reason for a lot of convictions.

Teens never get fair trials, becuase teens can't serve on Juries! If there's noone your age on the Jury, how can you have a fair trial?

[allgoo19]

to TomMarAlem1987:

Do you mean to say American people are better educated than Japanese about how the judicial system works?

Are you aware that even the president has very little knowledge or respect to the civil liberty? How can you be sure the rest of the population are well educated?

Most people I have talked to, don't care, don't know, have no idea. They think ACLU is a communist group.

[safefield]

The selection of the news is interesting to a Japanese resident.

[TAKENnameARGH]

Yea well.. theirs is a culture that puts huge emphasis on untarnished public image and CV. Most defence lawyers have never won a case and even a single lost case on a prosecutors record can cause a career standstill... most won't go near cases that arn't "sure things". Same thing with the police. Advancing in a career is up to your record, witch actually causes fierce COMPETITION in conviction rates, between precinct and cities... talk about a wrong place to apply capitalism...

[cimmerianpraetor]

Since you put it that way, it seems even worse than the position of a prosecuted man in the communist totalitarian states....

[TAKENnameARGH]

the japanese system is medieval. holding suspects under maximum pressure in Daiyo kangoku for extended periods of time (up to 23 days without charges), with limited access to legal council, relatives or anyone - for the sole purpose of extracting a confession, witch is more than often the only actual "evidence" that the suspect actually committed a crime.

No interrigation sessions are ever recorded.

[akram1972c]

بلد جميله و اناس اجمل مرحب بكم يا يبنيون

[ItzMeRon]

Great reporting. Man, you would never see this on any Main Stream Media in America. I never knew this about Japan.

[cimmerianpraetor]

Many European countries don't have jury and it does not affect the conviction rate the way it does in Japan.

[Mxyzptlk562]

Wow! We agree. There are miracles out there.

[ehunter2]

Would you say that it kinda helps the conviction rate..when there is no jury? Hmmm?

[ehunter2]

Uh...? What I am saying is that Japan was a defeated nation, but unlike every defeat in history the victor (USA) didnt subjugate or crush Japan..but instead helped it build itself into the 2nd largest economy in the world. A miracle thats lost on USA bashers.