The Sanseito party said it will support an amended bill to reform Japan's criminal retrial system [1].
This move is critical because the ruling coalition holds a minority in the House of Councillors. With Sanseito's support, the legislation is now expected to pass both chambers and become law during the current Diet session [1].
The decision followed a vote in the House of Representatives Committee on Judicial Affairs on June 12 [2]. The party's leadership said it supported the amendment during a meeting of the committee's board members [1].
A central point of the amendment involves the prohibition of using evidence for purposes other than those originally intended. The revised bill stipulates that this specific prohibition will be subject to review after five years [1].
Legislative observers said the alignment of the Sanseito party with the amendment provides the necessary numbers to overcome the minority status of the government in the upper house [1]. The bill aims to modernize the retrial process to ensure fairer outcomes for defendants seeking to overturn previous convictions [1].
While most reports indicate the committee vote occurred on June 12 [2], some sources suggest the bill is scheduled for deliberation in the House of Representatives plenary session on June 26 [2].
“The decision clears a path for the legislation to pass in the House of Councillors.”
The Sanseito party's shift to support the amendment acts as a legislative bridge for a minority government. By agreeing to a five-year review period for evidence usage rules, the party has removed the primary hurdle preventing the reform of Japan's retrial system, which has long been criticized by legal advocates for being too restrictive.
