Japan PM Takaichi Stresses Importance of Retrial System Reform

Tokyo, May 26 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday emphasized the importance of a government bill to reform the country's retrial system.

The bill to revise the criminal procedure law "has great significance because it is intended to ensure that victims of wrongful convictions are rescued and to facilitate and speed up related procedures," she told a plenary meeting of the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, Japan's parliament, stressing her resolve to aim for its early enactment.

"Currently, it takes a long time for acquittal rulings to become final in retrials, imposing heavy burdens on people concerned," Takaichi said, adding, "We need to take the situation seriously and make necessary improvements."

The government bill prohibits in principle public prosecutors from filing appeals against court decisions to start retrials. A counterproposal submitted by opposition parties to "completely ban" such appeals was also discussed at the meeting.

Justice Minister Hiroshi Hiraguchi sounded negative about fully prohibiting prosecutors' appeals, saying, "A total ban would mean that a ruling finalized under the country's three-tier trial system will be overturned only by a single court decision and would therefore undermine courts' dispute-settling functions."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]