The conviction in March of a young man from the United States for killing an Irish exchange student raised the issue of how well Japanese courts provide interpretation for non-Japanese put on trial.
Allegations of mistakes during the trial were made by one of the lay judges who spoke English. Although neither the defendant's lawyers nor the lay judges claimed that the misinterpretations affected the ruling, the case did bring to light an ongoing problem in the court system.
Though that trial was conducted fairly despite certain minor alleged misinterpretations, the issue of translation and interpretation for non-Japanese in Japan's legal system is a serious one. Without an accurate understanding of testimony, questions and procedures, trials of non-Japanese will end up relying on distorted information or flawed evidence that could result in incorrect rulings.