Question Does Japan really have an equivalent of Jury Duty?

Most "Anglosphere" nations have Jury Duty (US, UK, AU, CA, NZ) and courtroom attendance is mandatory when given a summons. The thing is that Japan operates on a lay judge system (裁判員制度) but has something close to it I suppose where citizens are randomly selected to participate alongside professional judges in serious criminal trials to determine guilt and sentencing, however it's not the same as "Western Jury Duty" (where hundreds show up and only 12 are selected by attorneys). That doesn't concern you if you have a residence card (在留カード) or any type of visa in Japan (student, working holiday, business) since the court only cares about citizens (日本国籍).

In the UK, 97% of criminal cases are heard by magistrates; volunteers who are carefully selected by the judiciary via multiple interviews and aptitude tests, undergo training, sit in a triumvirate to hear cases, judge and hand down sentences asking advice where necessary, from the of the clerk of the court, a highly train legal person. They receive no pay for their civic duty and their employers have to release them from work for a for 13 days (26 half days) a year to fulfill their duty. I used to be one of these magistrates and it was…interesting.

After my experiences as a magistrate, if required to be tried in a court of law and had the choice, I would opt for a Judge- and not a jury hearing!

Ukigumo said:

In the UK, 97% of criminal cases are heard by magistrates; volunteers who are carefully selected by the judiciary via multiple interviews and aptitude tests, undergo training, sit in a triumvirate to hear cases, judge and hand down sentences asking advice where necessary, from the of the clerk of the court, a highly train legal person. They receive no pay for their civic duty and their employers have to release them from work for a for 13 days (26 half days) a year to fulfill their duty. I used to be one of these magistrates and it was…interesting.

After my experiences as a magistrate, if required to be tried in a court of law and had the choice, I would opt for a Judge- and not a jury hearing!

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You're saying that magistrates are volunteers? In the U.S. they are kind of like assistant judges that can handle smaller matters. It's a paid position.

Yes, we're volunteers. No pay, only expenses such as car mileage (I never claimed this as it was such a hassle!). No allowance for suits ties or shoes...nothing.

It'a felt that volunteering for such a role is part of one's 'civic duty'; paying back to a society that supports and cares for us.

Ukigumo said:

Yes, we're volunteers. No pay, only expenses such as car mileage (I never claimed this as it was such a hassle!). No allowance for suits ties or shoes...nothing.

It'a felt that volunteering for such a role is part of one's 'civic duty'; paying back to a society that supports and cares for us.

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Do you apply or are you recruited?

mdchachi said:

Do you apply or are you recruited?

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We apply. I saw an advert for the role on the tram during my morning recruit and thought it might be interesting.

I'd have to do some research, but I do remember hearing on the news over 15 years ago that the government at the time wanted to implement a jury system to Japan. I'm not sure whatever came out of that initiative.

The issue I have is the jury system requires one to be tried by one's peers but the people who I've met on juries are not my peers. They're often as far removed from me as they possibly could be!

Only two European countries—the United Kingdom and Ireland—rely heavily on the traditional English model of an independent, 12-person citizen jury to decide guilt in serious criminal trials. A few others (such as Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain) use modified 'Assize' courts, where a smaller panel of citizens sits alongside professional judges to deliberate and vote together on both guilt and sentencing

Ukigumo said:

The issue I have is the jury system requires one to be tried by one's peers but the people who I've met on juries are not my peers. They're often as far removed from me as they possibly could be!

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I had much the same experience during my military service. But that's also how society and democracy (should) work.

Ukigumo said:

Only two European countries, the United Kingdom and Ireland, rely heavily on the traditional English model of an independent, 12-person citizen jury to decide guilt in serious criminal trials. A few others (such as Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain) use modified 'Assize' courts, where a smaller panel of citizens sits alongside professional judges to deliberate and vote together on both guilt and sentencing.

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Austria has both assize courts ("Geschworenengerichte"), consisting of three professional judges and eight lay judges ("Geschworene"), and juries or "lay assessor courts" ("Schöffengericht"), where either one professional judge and two lay assessors (for most offences), or two professional judges and two lay assessors for highly complex or serious crimes, adjudicate.

After graduating from law school, I worked at a criminal district court, where I met strata of society I had never encountered before. I still consider my days there the most educational in my life. They taught me humility and respect for those I hadn't considered my peers before.

I'm going to be blunt now; based upon the people I chat to in my gym and everyday life -ordinary, everyday people- I wouldn't want them presiding over me (a brown-skinned, well spoken, educated liberal man) in a court of law. They don't seem to have the ability to juggle seemingly disparate pieces of information or declare their preconceptions or indeed move them to one side while cogitating.

I feel three qualified judges would be more like my peers (although my experience shows they dole out more punitive sentences)!

Ukigumo said:

They don't seem to have the ability to juggle seemingly disparate pieces of information or declare their preconceptions or indeed move them to one side while cogitating.

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Sadly even many of the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court can't do that. Their view and application of the law changes depending on the result they want to see. It's really disheartening.

I have served on jury duty in a criminal proceeding in the USA once. The defendant was black, the jury was almost entirely white, and he was found not guilty on all counts but one, which we all felt bad about, but the law was clear with no exceptions.

I got called up about 40 years ago. I mentioned I had been a police officer and was not sure I could be impartial and they sent me home and never asked me again.

I remember hearing that the American occupation forces instituted a jury system in Japan, but it was found that the Japanese jurors only gave verdicts they thought the judges wanted, so the idea was eventually scrapped

The Asahikawa 17-Year-Old High School Girl Murder Case: Timeline and Court Verdict

The Asahikawa 17-year-old high school girl murder case was one of Japan's most shocking criminal cases in recent years. It attracted nationwide attention because of the prolonged abuse of the victim and the brutal nature of the crime.

Background of the Case

In April 2024, a 17-year-old high school girl from Rumoi, Hokkaido, was allegedly lured to Asahikawa by two women after a dispute that began on social media.

According to the court, the victim was confined for several hours, physically assaulted, threatened, and forced to apologize repeatedly. Eventually, she was taken to the Kamikawa Ohashi Bridge over the Ishikari River. There, she was forced into the river, where she drowned. The court found that the defendants' actions led directly to her death.

The Trial

The case was tried under Japan's Saiban-in (lay judge) system, in which professional judges and ordinary citizens decide serious criminal cases together.

The prosecution argued that the crime was extremely cruel, premeditated, and demonstrated a complete disregard for human life. The defense raised various arguments regarding the defendants' roles and level of responsibility, but the court found both defendants criminally responsible.

The Verdict

The court imposed the following sentences:

The principal defendant: 27 years in prison
The co-defendant: 23 years in prison

Neither defendant received life imprisonment or the death penalty.

Public Reaction

The verdict sparked significant public debate in Japan.

Many people believed the prison sentences were too lenient considering the severity of the crime. Critics argued that the prolonged abuse, intimidation, and the victim's death warranted a harsher punishment, such as life imprisonment.

Legal experts, however, noted that Japanese courts determine sentences based on the Criminal Code, previous judicial precedents, the degree of each defendant's responsibility, and the available evidence. Under Japanese law, even very serious homicide cases do not automatically result in life imprisonment or the death penalty.

As a result, the case has become part of a broader discussion about Japan's lay judge system, sentencing standards, and whether penalties for particularly brutal crimes should be strengthened.

Hiroyuki Nagashima said:

The principal defendant: 27 years in prison
The co-defendant: 23 years in prison

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That means they could be paroled after 9 and 8 years. But I think unlikely to be paroled right away given how well known the case is.