KYOTO — When lawyer Masaki Kunihiro, 52, applied to become a court judge last year, he didn't fully expect to be accepted.
It's not that his credentials weren't good enough — he passed the judicial exam in 1981 at age 33 — or that he lacked experience — he has been a lawyer for 16 years.
Rather, Kunihiro blames his failed attempts at appointment on an arbitrary system that lacks set standards or a fair application process.