PROFESSIONAL LUNCHEON
Kunio Hamada, Former Supreme Court Judge;
Makoto Miyazaki, President, The Japan Federation of Bar Associations;
Satoru Shinomiya, Professor, Kokugakuin University Law School

The speech and Q & A will be in English and Japanese with English interpretation

"The New Jury System"

Last month, the new lay judge system for Japan's courts went into effect and the first trials involving citizen lay judges are expected to begin as early as next month.

The lay judge system has been the subject of considerable hope and considerable opposition since Japan decided to institute it. Supporters see the inclusion of "citizen judges" as an imperfect and small, but nevertheless essential, step towards a more open and publicly accountable judiciary system, and a great way to further involve ordinary citizens in their democracy. Opponents see the new system as a farce and doubt lay judges will be able to exercise independent decisions or that professional judges will let them render a verdict they disagree with.

What are the pros and cons of the system? Will it really work, or do the critics have a point? Will the inclusion of citizen jurors lead to verdicts that are more fair, or less? And what about media, especially foreign media, access to lay judges after a verdict?

Three of Japan's top legal experts on the new system will discuss these and other issues at a special roundtable discussion. Makoto Miyazaki, president of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations, has long been active in the association. Kunio Hamada, a Harvard Law School graduate, is also a former Supreme Court justice and an expert on international law. Satoru Shinomiya, a professor at Kokugakuin University Law School, was a member of the government's task force on the lay judge system between 2001 and 2004.Join us for this timely discussion on one of the most important legal changes to Japan in decades.

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