The PSIM Consortium, a research and development project for legal skills education teaching materials at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Law, has produced and released a full-fledged video teaching material for criminal lawsuits, "Criminal Lawsuits (Trials)". In the sequel to "Criminal Lawsuit (Investigation)", which has been released since 2022, viewers can have a simulated experience of being a lay judge and are finished with content that encourages them to participate in the lay judge trial.
According to Nagoya University, the trial version received materials from the Supreme Court and was produced under the supervision of experts such as Professor Yasuhiro Miyaki of the Nagoya University Graduate School of Law.Using a murder case that occurred in an adulterous relationship as the theme, it is easy to understand the procedure by which lay judges work together with judges to identify facts and judge sentences.The scenario was written by university professors and lawyers, and was played by professional actors such as Keiko Shirasu.Takaaki Enoki, a popular actor, serves as the narrator.
Japan's lay judge system, introduced in 18, is a system in which lay judges, who are randomly selected from citizens over the age of 2009, participate in specific criminal trials.It aims to introduce the perspective of the general public into trials and establish the rule of law, but there are various debates as to whether it has taken root in Japanese society.
The investigation version is used in classes at universities and other places. The PSIM Consortium hopes that the public trial edition will be widely used, and that it will broaden the circle of thinking about lay judge systems and criminal procedures.
