Fundamental Study on rules of presenting evidence at the criminal trial

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K01350
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 05050:Criminal law-related
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: Tabuchi Koji 九州大学, 法学研究院, 教授 (20242753)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 直接主義 / 最良証拠 / 取調べの録音・録画

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The main findings of this study are twofold. Firstly, through analyzing the debate surrounding the use of recorded evidence in interrogations and the direct principle in Germany leading up to the enactment of the Effective and Practical Criminal Procedure Law in 2017, we concluded that the reason the law established recording obligations for interrogations of suspects and defendants and allowed for their use as substantive evidence by judges under the same requirements as interrogation transcripts cannot be solely attributed to the high quality of recorded evidence in terms of completeness and accuracy. Secondly, we were able to clarify that Dale A. Nance's best evidence princile, as a modification principle of the adversarial system, has the potential to influence specific discussions regarding the presentation of evidence.

Free Research Field

刑事法学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

証拠の顕出方法についてのルールは少なく、どちらかというと実務の運用上の工夫に委ねられてきた部分が大きい。しかしながら、証拠の顕出方法も、証拠能力と同様に、公判中心主義、直接主義、口頭主義といった公判及び証拠の基本原則に関係するテーマである。本研究は、直接主義を採用するドイツ刑事訴訟法における取調べの録音・録画記録の実質証拠としての使用の条件をめぐる議論や、当事者主義を採用するアメリカ証拠法の修正原理としての最良証拠主義論が証拠の顕出順序や条件に及ぼす可能性の考察を通じて、日本の実務が直面している証拠顕出に関する諸問題を解決するための法的視点を提供できたことに学術的意義や社会的意義が認められる。