Most courts that hold trials under the lay judge system are trying to enhance the safety of the participants after citizen judges in a gangster's trial were approached by people associated with the defendant,
Many safety steps have been introduced with the help of court employees, such as driving judges to nearby transit stations and their homes to prevent them from meeting anyone linked with defendants, according to a survey by Kyodo News.
But some courts said they are concerned about their employees' increased workloads.