A government panel suggested Tuesday that decisions by prosecution inquest committees be legally binding and that court-appointed lawyers be allowed to function as prosecutors.

Currently, only prosecutors are empowered to indict. The proposal by the panel under the government's judicial reform task force would break that monopoly.

Inquest committees are set up in 201 district courts and court branches across the country. Victims of crimes or people who file complaints can appeal to the committees if prosecutors decide not to indict.

The committees then hold closed-door deliberations on whether there should be an indictment. Prosecutors are not legally bound to follow the committees' decisions.

In June 2001, another government panel, the now-defunct council on judicial reform, first suggested making the decisions of the inquest committees legally binding.

But the ideas aired Tuesday are the first time a government panel has presented specific steps to empower the committees.

The government's judicial reform task force will hold discussions based on the proposal, and the government plans to submit a bill to the Diet next year.

The proposal calls for a two-step approach.

If an inquest committee decides prosecutors should have indicted, prosecutors would be obliged to reconsider their decision, although the committee's decision would not be legally binding.

If the prosecutors still decide not to prosecute or if they fail to indict within three months, the committee would re-examine the case and could make a legally binding decision in favor of an indictment.

In the event of such a decision, the court would appoint a lawyer who would perform the prosecution's role until a ruling is reached.

But instructions to investigative authorities would be entrusted to prosecutors.

The panel is also discussing establishing rules for punishing committee members who leak classified information.

According to the Supreme Court, the committees reviewed 1,818 cases last year but concluded in favor of indictment in only five.