Members of a government panel on judicial reform said Monday they will push for the introduction of a jury system for criminal trials as a way to secure "popular sovereignty."

Judicial Reform Council member Tsuyoshi Takagi, vice president of the Japanese Trade Union Confederation (Rengo), said public trust in the judicial system is on "shaky ground."

Decisions by the courts to uphold the constitutionality of wide discrepancies in the value of votes in Diet constituencies and a lack of transparency in the judicial system are undermining public confidence in the judiciary, he said.