An All-Laymen Jury System Instead of the Lay Assessor (Saiban’in) System for Japan? Anglo-American-Style Jury Trials in Okinawa under the US Occupation

Abstract

I.   Introduction
II.   Recent Developments in the Anti-saiban-in Debate
1.   Open Letter Prepared by the Association for Opposing the Lay Assessor System
2.   “We Do Not Need the Lay Assessor System!”
3.   Organizations Promoting the Reintroduction of an All-Layperson Jury System in Japan
4.   “Will the Lay Assessor System Transform Criminal Courts? Reasons for Demanding a Jury System”
III.   The Jury System in Okinawa under the U.S. Occupation
1.  Historical Background
2.   The Jury System in USCAR Courts
3.   A Case Tried by Jury in Okinawa
4.   Okinawa’s Experience
IV.   Conclusion
V.   Appendix: The Jury System in Okinawa, Documentary Materials