17:03 JST, February 15, 2026

The government has compiled a set of proposals for reforming the nation’s retrial system, which is intended to aid victims of false convictions by retrying their cases. However, criticism persists that the proposals are substantially insufficient.

What kind of a system should be established to swiftly rectify wrongful convictions, which are serious human rights violations committed by the state? Discussions on this issue will now move to the Diet.

The Legislative Council, which examined reforms of the retrial system for retrying cases in which guilty verdicts have been finalized, has adopted an outline of proposed revisions and submitted it to the justice minister. 

Under the current system, there are almost no rules specifying how retrials should proceed. Prosecutors have often resisted lawyers’ requests for the disclosure of evidence,........

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