The lay judge system for trials of suspects indicted on charges of serious crimes will start May 21. By mid-July, lay judges chosen from among ordinary citizens, together with professional judges, may have already handed down rulings.
The system represents drastic reform of Japan's judiciary, which up to now has been run solely by professional judges, public prosecutors and lawyers.
Aimed at injecting common sense into criminal proceedings, the lay judge system has been created with the hope of deepening citizens' understanding of the judiciary through participation. The advent of this new way of adjudicating some criminal cases is expected to strengthen the public view of the judiciary as a more trustworthy institution.