Due to the lowering of the age of adulthood, from next year, there is a possibility that people who turn 18 will be selected as lay judges.
Prior to this, high school students from Tokyo held a meeting to exchange opinions and ask questions to experienced lay judges.
An opinion exchange meeting held by the Tokyo District Court was attended by three former lay judges, ten high school students, as well as judges and lawyers.
The age at which people can be selected as lay judges has been lowered from 20 years old, along with the lowering of the age of adulthood. Climb too much.
At the opinion exchange meeting, high school students asked the experienced judges questions such as, "Have you felt any change in your feelings before and after your experience as a lay judge?"
A woman in her 30s who was in charge of the stimulant smuggling case said, "She wasn't interested in the trial, but after going through it, she began to watch the news more often, and her view of the world changed." was
Also, to the question, "Is it okay if I don't know the law?", a woman in her 20s answered, "I didn't have any knowledge of the law at all, but I was able to come to a conclusion while exchanging opinions with those around me, so I wasn't worried about it. It disappeared," he said.
A female student in her second year of high school who participated said, "I was worried about becoming a lay judge because I'm not the type to express my opinions clearly, but when I realized that my opinions also lead to conclusions, my worries were dispelled. It was done."