Ruling-bloc and opposition lawmakers have reached a basic agreement on penalties for proposed "lay judges" who leak information, deciding that only those who leak information on people involved in criminal cases will face prison, according to sources.
Under the current reform bill proposed by the government, lay judges, members of the public who sit with judges and observe and rule on a trial, could face up to a one-year prison term or a fine of up to 500,000 yen if they leak information on people related to cases or details of preruling discussions.
While critics said the proposal would discourage people from serving as lay judges due to the penalties, lawmakers on a House of Representatives committee said a leak of personal information should be treated as a more serious violation than leaking information on court proceedings, the sources told Kyodo News on Tuesday.