A Look at Japan's Hybrid Criminal Jury System [POSTPONED]

This event has been postponed.

The man accused of shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will soon go on trial. When he does, international observers may be surprised to see a panel of judges and lay people, sitting together on the dais in the courtroom, and even more surprised to learn that the full panel will deliberate together as a jury, with both judges and lay people having equal votes in the outcome of the trial.

The discussion will cover how this system came about, and the benefits and drawbacks of the system as compared to the U.S. lay jury system.

Panelists:

• Hisashi Sekiguchi, Okayama Family and District Court, Japan
• Peggy Kuo, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York
• David Law, University of Virginia School of Law (moderator)

This event is co-sponsored by the American Society of International Law’s Government Attorneys Interest Group and Asia-Pacific Interest Group.