After more than a month of heated debate, the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito agreed earlier this week that three professional judges and six "lay judges" should occupy the bench in trials under a new "citizen judge" system.
Under the proposed system, part of a judicial reform drive, professional judges and randomly selected citizens would hear criminal cases and write rulings together. Verdicts would be reached by a majority vote.
Although the accord puts the final touches to this quasijury system, legal experts have mixed views on whether it will be effective in achieving the stated goal -- getting ordinary citizens to play more "responsible and meaningful roles" in the justice system.