The right of the accused to face his or her accuser is one issue at stake in a draft proposal aiming to better protect crime victims' rights that was submitted to the justice minister Tuesday. The Legislative Council submitted the proposed revision of the Criminal Procedure Act to Justice Minister Hideo Usui. The proposed changes would include the introduction of a system that would enable victims to testify without having to face alleged perpetrators. The draft also suggests giving priority to crime victims and their families to attend court hearings and allowing them to read, copy or transcribe records of criminal court proceedings, which is currently prohibited. The copied records could then be used as evidence in civil suits. The Justice Ministry is to submit a revision to the law as well as a related new bill to the ordinary Diet session by mid-March. The issue of protecting victims' rights was first brought up by former Justice Minister Takao Jinnouchi last March. Since then, the Justice Ministry has questioned crime victims as well as invited public opinions on the issue. It submitted a draft in October to a meeting of the Legislative Council for deliberation. According to the draft, in cases involving minors or sexual assault, victims would be allowed to testify from outside the courtroom, using video conferencing equipment or videotape. It calls on the court to also put partitions between the victims and the accused in cases where the sensitive nature of alleged crime or the psychological conditions of the victim warrants it. The draft also suggest allowing crime victims to state their feelings as well as opinions in court, which are not allowed under the current system. However, such statements will not be recorded as evidence, it says. The proposal also pointed out that the court should allow someone close to crime victims accompany them when appearing in court proceedings, in order to ease their strain. The council also called for the abolishment of the six-month time limit for victims of sexual assault to file a complaint with investigative authorities. The draft called for a measure to allow civil cases settled out of court to be documented for possible use in criminal proceedings.
