Relief was the overriding emotion of the candidates who weren't picked in a final lottery draw Monday to participate in the first criminal trial under the new lay judge system.
"I was glad because I had been nervous and worried, as I don't have any legal knowledge and I wasn't sure if I could make a proper decision regarding someone else's crime," a 31-year-old computer firm employee from Nerima Ward said at a news conference after being told by the court he was free to go home.
The six who were chosen sat alongside the three professional judges in the murder trial of Katsuyoshi Fujii. The trial is to run through Thursday.