The following is excerpted from an interview with Justice Minister Yoko Kamikawa.
This is my third time as justice minister, but I have no intention of making this term an extension of the past.
Without the public's trust, the goal of legal administration cannot be achieved. In the wake of the mah-jongg betting scandal involving Hiromu Kurokawa, the former superintending prosecutor of the Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office, a council of experts was formed to revamp the administration of justice and public prosecutors. I would like the council to present the results of its discussions as soon as possible. A sense of speed is important to restoring trust.
Above all, I would like to see the ministry's top three [minister, state minister, parliamentary vice-minister] and its 54,000 employees across the nation working as a team to tackle the issues in solidarity to restore trust. In order to enhance the sense of unity, the top three plan to launch a campaign in which we will engage in direct dialogue with officials on the ground across the nation and exchange views from the same perspective.
We are aware that there were various opinions on a bill [abolished by the previous Diet session] to amend the Public Prosecutor's Office Law to extend the retirement age for prosecutors. We would like to consult with the relevant ministries and agencies before proceeding with another review of the proposal to be submitted to the Diet.
With regard to novel coronavirus infections, we would like to strengthen our measures to prepare for a simultaneous outbreak with influenza. As we are in charge of immigration control, preventing infections at the border is an important issue. Looking ahead to a society coexisting with COVID-19, it is important to be flexible in restricting and easing immigration control for foreigners' entry into Japan to prevent the spread of infection. We need to work even more closely with the relevant ministries and agencies in order to make swift decisions. The government as a whole will take a thorough look at easing entry for tourists in the future.
In issues such as the custody system after divorce and non-payment of child support, it is important to have the best interests of the children in mind. This is a way of thinking in line with international trends, and we will continue to consider this issue.
The existence or abolition of the death penalty is an important issue that goes to the very foundation of the criminal justice system. We believe that the death penalty is unavoidable for those who are guilty of extremely serious and heinous crimes, given that there is no end to violent crimes.
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