Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers concluded a three-hour discussion on retrial system reforms but failed to agree on how to restrict prosecutor appeals [1].
The deadlock threatens the timeline for submitting a reform bill to the National Diet, as the deadline for submission is the 10th [4]. If the LDP cannot reconcile internal differences, the legislation may miss the current legislative window.
At the center of the dispute is whether a "general prohibition" on prosecutor appeals should be written into the main body of the law or placed in the supplementary provisions [1], [2]. This distinction determines the legal weight and permanence of the restriction. Some members argue that a formal ban is necessary to prevent prosecutors from delaying the exoneration of wrongly convicted individuals.
Rep. Tomomi Inada (LDP) said prosecutor appeals should be prohibited [3]. Other members expressed frustration with the government's lack of cooperation during the process.
"The government side gave only reluctant responses, which I believe was extremely unsatisfactory for us as lawmakers," said former Education Minister Masahiko Shibayama. He added that a political resolution should be reached.
Keisuke Suzuki, chairman of the Judicial System Research Committee, said the committee will temporarily hold the decision on whether to include the prohibition in the main text while further coordination with the government is conducted [2].
The meeting, held at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, lasted approximately three hours [1]. It served as a joint session between the party's internal policy subcommittee, and the Judicial System Research Committee [2].
While some reports suggest the government is leaning toward including the prohibition in the main text, party members remain divided on the final legal phrasing [5]. This tension comes amid broader calls to review the retrial system every five years [6].
“"The government side gave only reluctant responses... I believe was extremely unsatisfactory for us as lawmakers."”
The dispute reflects a deeper tension between the LDP's desire to project a commitment to human rights and the Japanese government's reluctance to strip prosecutors of their legal tools. By debating whether the ban on appeals belongs in the main law or the supplementary provisions, lawmakers are essentially arguing over whether this change is a fundamental shift in legal principle or a temporary administrative adjustment. Failure to meet the submission deadline would signal a lack of political will to accelerate the retrial process for the wrongfully convicted.
