A set of bills ostensibly to reform the nation's criminal justice, which is likely to be enacted during the ongoing Diet session, includes a measure to prevent false charges — mandating the full electronic recording of interrogations for certain types of crimes. This constitutes a small step forward. But other parts of the proposed reform — the introduction of a plea bargaining system and expanded use of wiretapping — may result in beefing up the power of the police and the prosecution without achieving the purpose of protecting the rights of citizens who are being investigated.
The reform was prompted by the experience of Atsuko Muraki, currently vice minister of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry. She was arrested and charged with forging of an official document in 2009, but was acquitted in 2010 as the Osaka District Court turned down as evidence 34 of 43 depositions submitted by the prosecution, pointing to the possible use of leading questions or pressure against witnesses during interrogations. It also surfaced that a public prosecutor in charge of her case altered the content of a floppy disk that was presented as evidence.
The bills before the Diet are based on discussions by a special panel of the Justice Ministry's Legislative Council, which was established in 2011 and included Muraki as a member.
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