Prime Minister Takaichi said Wednesday she will not accept amendments to a bill aimed at revising the nation's retrial system.
The decision intensifies a legislative battle over the rights of the accused and the power of prosecutors to block retrials in criminal cases. If passed without modification, the bill could fundamentally alter how the Japanese judiciary handles requests to reopen trials for those claiming wrongful convictions.
During deliberations at a ruling party committee, Takaichi defended the bill's current form. She said the proposal was submitted to the Diet after exhaustive explanations and appropriate procedures were followed, and that there are no flaws in those procedures [1].
The Prime Minister's stance comes despite pressure from opposition members. Vice Representative Nishimura of the Center for Democratic Reform said that the party's internal review process should be restarted [1]. Nishimura also questioned whether the Prime Minister, in her capacity as LDP president, would consider prohibiting prosecutor appeals to prevent the delay of retrials [1].
Despite these calls for revision, the ruling party intends to hold a vote on the matter during the committee meeting on June 12 [1].
According to reports from Tokyo Shimbun, the government previously submitted the bill to the House of Representatives on June 15, following a cabinet decision [2]. That specific version of the bill had undergone three revisions [2]. The submission process was delayed by one month from the original schedule [2].
“"There are no flaws in those procedures."”
The Prime Minister's refusal to amend the bill signals a hardline approach to maintaining the current legislative trajectory. By dismissing claims of procedural flaws, the administration is prioritizing a swift passage of the bill over a consensus-based approach with opposition parties, potentially leaving the controversial role of prosecutor appeals in the retrial process unresolved.
