| Budget Amount *help |
¥4,940,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,140,000)
Fiscal Year 2017: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2016: ¥780,000 (Direct Cost: ¥600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥180,000)
Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,040,000 (Direct Cost: ¥800,000、Indirect Cost: ¥240,000)
Fiscal Year 2014: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥910,000 (Direct Cost: ¥700,000、Indirect Cost: ¥210,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
This research aims to identify the extent to which courts permit use of other languages/dialects in Japan. Large volumes of documents were collected from local bar associations and libraries, and analyzed. A number of court hearings were attended in areas, including Sapporo, Akita, Sendai, Tokyo, Nagoya, Kanazawa, Osaka, Okayama, Hiroshima, Matsue, Takamatsu, Fukuoka, Miyazaki and Naha.
In some legal cases, judges prohibited the use of other languages, including sign language interpretation in their courtrooms. However, this research found that overall, courts typically permitted parties to use their language, such as foreign language, dialect and sign language. This research identified a trend of improvement in courtroom communication practices. Courts now use short questions and plain language more, and rephrase difficult words, as needed. This improvement is attributed to implementation of Saiban-in (citizen judge) system and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities.
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