Legislation is needed to provide financial help to people who cannot afford to file civil suits, an advisory body to Justice Minister Kokichi Shimoinaba urged Monday.
In a report submitted to Shimoinaba, the group urged the state to enact the necessary laws and provide funds to operate the proposed legal assistance system, which is designed to ensure citizens' constitutional right to a trial.
The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has been seeking state-provided financial help for criminal and minor trials, but, because of objections within the ministry, the report limits state subsidies to only civil trials. The ministry will begin talks with the federation and other organizations on the introduction of the legal assistance system.
The federation estimates the proposed system will cost about 1.45 billion yen in state subsidies a year to operate. The Finance Ministry is said to be approaching the proposal carefully as it attaches more importance to restoring the government's fiscal health.
At present, an organization supported by the federation of bar associations is running a system to provide financial assistance to those unable to seek civil legal action due to financial constraints. However, the report says this system provides less in state subsidies than that available under similar programs outside Japan.
Low-income households, which account for about 20 percent of all households in the country, would be eligible for financial assistance under the program. In its report, the group estimates that state subsidies will be sought for about 42,000 legal cases a year.