The Justice Ministry has proposed that several exceptions be made to efforts to record interrogations by investigative authorities across the nation, while mandating that such recordings cover the entire interrogations process.
At a meeting Wednesday of a special panel of the ministry's Legislative Council, which is tasked with revamping the nation's criminal justice system, the ministry also proposed vastly expanding the range of suspected crimes for which wiretapping can be authorized to include murder and arson, participants said. The panel advises the justice minister.
The ministry hopes to wrap up the talks by summer and submit related bills to the Diet next year, but at Wednesday's meeting, more than a few members called for changes to the proposals, the participants said.