What does online streaming of trials bring? Hear from a former judge about the nature of public disclosure

Overseas, Supreme Court hearings and other proceedings are broadcast over the Internet. Could this be an option in Japan, where the constitution stipulates the ``principle of open trials''? What will it bring? We spoke to Tetsuro Hirano (57), a former judge and professor at Ritsumeikan University Law School, who is knowledgeable about overseas affairs.

Archive footage is also available overseas.

Countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, and South Korea are broadcasting Supreme Court and Constitutional Court hearings live on the Internet. Archived videos are also available, and anyone can watch videos of the British Supreme Court's decision on the legality of prorogating parliament just before Brexit, and the South Korean Constitutional Court's impeachment trial of a former president.

The purpose of the principle of open trial stipulated in Article 82 of the Japanese Constitution is to check the judiciary by the sovereign people. Additionally, it has the significance of deepening people's understanding and interest in trials.

In Japan, if the Supreme Court's arguments in civil and criminal cases were made available online, anyone could watch the arguments between judges and lawyers, and this would serve as a basis for the public review of Supreme Court justices. If the disclosure is limited to Supreme Court arguments, there will be no interrogations, and there will be little concern about privacy invasion. Even if the speech is cut out or edited by AI (artificial intelligence), it can be verified if the entire text is published on the court's official website.

A court that reaches the citizens

In addition, social issues such as same-sex marriage lawsuits...