The Japanese Judiciary: Maintaining Integrity, Autonomy and the Public Trust
LAW IN JAPAN: A TURNING POINT, Daniel J. Foote, ed., University of Washington Press, 2007
31 Pages Posted: 25 Oct 2005
Abstract
This paper presents a detailed analysis of the distinctive features of the Japanese judiciary, its structure, and its administration by senior career judges assigned to the General Secretariat of the Supreme Court. The paper describes in detail the career paths of career judges as well as the prevailing pattern of appointments to the Supreme Court, both of which preclude significant political intervention. It argues that Japanese judicial organization, the mentoring and monitoring role of senior judges, and the decisions on promotion and assignment by judicial administrators has resulted in an extraordinary record of judicial integrity and an equally remarkable level of institutional autonomy. These features of the Japanese judiciary in turn help to explain the high level of public trust in the integrity and competence of the judiciary.
Keywords: Japan, judiciary, career judges, court organization, judicial independence, judicial appointment, corruption (lack of), public trust
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