May 28, 2026

The Japanese Communist Party and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA) on May 27 held a meeting in Tokyo and exchanged views on reforming the current criminal retrial system which is under discussion in the current ordinary session of the Diet.

Those attending the meeting were, from the JFBA, President Matsuda Jun’ichi, 15 vice presidents, and the secretary general, and from the JCP, Executive Committee Chair Tamura Tomoko, Secretariat Head Koike Akira, Policy Commission Chair Yamazoe Taku, and Diet Policy Commission Chair Shiokawa Tetsuya.

Kobayashi Motoji, the director of the JFBA’s political section, mentioned that the government and a cross-party lawmakers’ group respectively proposed reform bills in the current Diet session. He said that the need is to weigh the pros and cons of both bills and hold thorough discussions, including the potential inclusion of amendments.

Tamura referred to the case of Hakamada Iwao who spent almost half a century on death row and was acquitted in a retrial. She said that as evidenced by this case, victims of false convictions suffer grave damage, adding, “The JCP will do its utmost to realize a legal system that prevents such inexcusable miscarriages of justice.”

Koike stressed, “Wrongful convictions are the worst human rights violations committed by the state.” He pointed to issues which need to be discussed, such as the disclosure of evidence held by prosecutors and a ban on prosecutorial appeals to court retrial orders. He expressed his determination to use discussions on retrial reform to reexamine the very nature of the criminal justice system.

Other topics brought up at the meeting included efforts to protect the Constitution, the push to turn Japan into a war-capable nation, and the issue of ensuring access to legal support in local communities.