A Justice Ministry panel debating changes to the Juvenile Law failed to reach a conclusion after a 10-hour marathon session Thursday.
Members of the Juvenile Law Committee, a subgroup of an advisory panel to the justice minister, were at odds over major issues such as when prosecutors should be allowed to attend juvenile court hearings, a ministry official told reporters after the meeting.
The committee will meet again today to vote on a draft of changes to the law prepared by the ministry and a counterproposal presented by the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.
In Thursday's meeting, none of the 20 committee members objected to the idea of giving more information to victims of juvenile crimes, ministry officials said.
The ministry's preliminary draft proposes disclosing the names and addresses of troubled youths and their guardians, as well as a summary of family court decisions, to victims of the crimes they committed, or their next of kin, after the hearings conclude.
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