Judicial Reform in Japan in the 1990s: Increase of the Legal Profession, Reinforcement of Judicial Functions and Expansion of the Rule of Law

Abstract

Judicial reform is one of the most important items on the political agenda in Japan today. Its main purpose is to expand the legal population drastically and to strengthen the social function of the judicial system in Japan. Japan has long been described as a society in which people do not need to resort to the judiciary, a ‘non‐litigious society’. In such a society, why should there now be attempts to change the judicial system to strengthen the judicial function? This paper makes a brief sketch of the socio‐political background and the discussion of judicial reform in Japan in the 1990s. In conclusion, it is pointed out that the judicial reform may enhance the rule of law in Japanese society, though the future course of the reform process is still uncertain.