Lay Judge System

Hello!
We'll think about lay judge system known as saibannin-seido on this blog. This system has started since 2009, but it seems that many people still tend to think the system is somebody else's problem. We in this class are almost or already twenty years old. That is, we may be selected as lay judge and participate in a trial. Lisa and I thought that we need to think about this system seriously and know the merit and demerit, so we chose this topic.

As usful web page, we list some links here.
▽Japanese official web page of the lay judge system
http://www.saibanin.courts.go.jp/introduction/index.html#top

▽Japan Times's news article about a woman who was selected as citizen judge and disagrees this system.
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2013/04/30/editorials/stressful-hearings-for-lay-judges/#.UaQMcYlhic0

▽brief exchage about lay judge system
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2009/06/06/japan-the-curtain-rises-on-the-lay-judge-system/