日本裁判员制度——通往司法民主的桥梁

裁判员制度是日本国民参与审判的形式,旨在把国民吸收到审判程序当中,使其主体性、实质性地参与到案件审理过程并影响案件审理的结果。裁判员享有与裁判官相同的权限,不仅能够认定案件事实,而且能够决定量刑。裁判员制度既不同于德国的参审制,也不同于美国的陪审制,具有日本特色,代表了日本司法制度日后发展的新动向。

The Japanese Saiban-in Jury System:A Bridge Leading to Judicial Democracy

The Japanese saiban-in jury system is a form of trial with citizen participation. The system aims to draw citizens to participate in the trail process as lay assessors, whose subjective and substantial participation influences the decision. Saiban-in, or lay assessors enjoy the same rights as judges. Not only will they find facts, they also share the role of sentencing. Different from the German trial-participation system and the U.S. jury system, Japanese saiban-in jury system has its own characteristics and indicates a new developmental tendency of Japanese judicial system in the days to come.