With the "saibanin" lay judge system set to take effect May 21, Japan is gearing up for an important transition in its judicial system, in which citizens begin serving as de facto jurors in district court trials involving serious crimes.
Under the new system, six randomly chosen people will work with three professional judges to hear a case and reach a verdict, which could involve handing down the death sentence.
The adoption of the new criminal trial system is expected to cause major ripples in society, from a shift in public perception toward the justice system to a change in the media's criminal reporting policies — topics that will be further explored in this series.