The government is studying the feasibility of imprisoning lay judges if they leak information pertaining to the privacy of people involved in trials, according to government sources.
The government is considering a two-tier system of imprisoning or fining lay judges for privacy leaks and merely fining them if they leak other information on trial proceedings, they said Thursday.
The two-tier system has been conceived as a compromise between a call for imprisonment by the government and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and a demand for leniency by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and the LDP's ruling coalition partner, New Komeito.
Japan plans to have lay judges work with professional judges in some criminal trials under a proposed judicial reform plan to involve the public in court trials.
A government panel presented a draft proposal last October suggesting four private citizen judges work with three professional judges during trials.
It also called for imprisoning or fining lay judges if they leak information about the trial proceedings or express their own opinions about them.
The government hopes to submit a bill on the reform of the judiciary to a regular Diet session convening later this month.
However, the number of professional and lay judges is still under consideration, as well as the penalties they may face over information leaks.
The planned system is similar to the lay judge systems in Germany and France. But Japan's plan differs in that a citizen will be given the same authority as a professional judge to reach a verdict and sentence those found guilty.