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Japan 's High Quality Legal System Essay

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Summary
Though, Japan has a high quality legal system, there are several issues that need to be addressed by the national government. These issues include: the unreasonable amount of discretionary powers prosecutors have and a shortage of lawyers.
I. INTRODUCTION
By receiving a score of fifteen out of sixteen (with a score of one being a failing score and a score of sixteen being an excellent score) by Freedom House, a nonprofit organization dedicated to monitoring the protection of civil liberties around the world, Japan has a well-regarded legal system (Japan). Despite being in the upper tier in terms of quality, Japan’s legal system does have problems that need to be addressed by its national government. These problems include: the unreasonable amount of discretionary power that prosecutors have and a shortage of lawyers.
II. POWERFUL PROSECUTORS Jeff Kingston’s work, “Justice on Trial: Japanese Prosecutors Under Fire,” highlights how much discretionary power prosecutors have. Prosecutors have the power to decide whether a suspect in custody will receive legal representation and the power to hold a suspect in detention beyond twenty-three days (2). This unreasonable amount of discretionary power is a result of judges in Japan sitting idly by and not playing their intended watchdog role (2). This deference to prosecutorial authority from judges is highlighted when a prosecutor requests an extension beyond twenty-three days; it is rare for a judge to deny a request for a

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