Japan's first postwar jury convicts man of murder

Aug 6th, 2009 TOKYO -- Japan's first jury trial since World War II concluded Thursday with a mixed group of citizens and professional judges convicting a man of murder and sentencing him to 15 years in prison.

The ruling was the first under the new Japanese jury system, a major overhaul of the country's legal framework that is expected to speed up trials and offer greater transparency.

The system pairs six citizens with three professionals, and the nine together decide both guilt and sentencing. All nine are considered judges. Until now, all trials were heard by only professional judges.

The trial took place in the Tokyo District Court and found 72-year-old Katsuyoshi Fujii guilty of murder in the fatal stabbing of a 66-year-old neighbor in May. Fujii had pleaded guilty but was asking for leniency in sentencing.

Murder carries a maximum penalty of death in Japan, although it is rare in cases involving a single victim.

The verdict and sentencing came just four days after the trial opened Monday, with the new process streamlined to allow the citizen judges to quickly return to their lives. Traditional Japanese trials had long been criticized as taking years to reach a conclusion.

Japanese juries are expected to hear about 2,000 to 3,000 cases per year, all involving serious crimes such as murder and kidnapping. About 300,000 candidates are being randomly selected from eligible voters nationwide to serve jury duty each year.

Still, some Japanese are reluctant to serve, in part because they may have to decide on capital punishment in a murder case.

Japan launched a jury trial system in 1928, but dropped it in 1943 as the country headed into chaos with World War II. The system was never popular because legal professionals opposed allowing regular people decide guilt.

Source: AP, August 5, 2009

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