Statement by Mr. Yukio Kai, Director-General, Guidance and Supervision Department, Supreme Public Prosecutors Office on Agenda item4: Thematic discussion on the follow-up to the Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, at the 24th Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, 19th May, 2015

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson,

I am from the Supreme Public Prosecutors Office of Japan.
I would like to congratulate you on your election and would like to ensure you of our full support and cooperation.
I would like to thank the Secretariat for their hard work in preparing this meeting.
 
Mr. Chairperson,

    
I congratulate the government of Qatar on the success of Thirteenth United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, thanks to its leadership and hospitality.


    
The Doha Declaration is an important and guiding statement responding to current issues in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.  I would like to extend my heartfelt respect for the efforts which Qatar and other countries have made for the adoption of this declaration and strong leadership of the chairperson.

The Doha Declaration confirms that it is important to comprise effective, fair, humane, and accountable crime prevention and criminal justice systems and the institutions as a central component of the rule of law, to promote a culture of lawfulness, and to foster and strengthen public participation in crime prevention and criminal justice.

It is essential to permeate the rule of law throughout society so that everyone can live safely.  In achieving such a society, it is important for citizens to trust and respect the law; this is what we mean by a culture of lawfulness.  In Japan, citizens’ participation in criminal justice can be regarded as a reflection of our culture of lawfulness.  Japan has introduced new trial system, in which Professional judges and Saiban-in, who are lay judges selected from ordinary citizens, compose a panel and try certain serious criminal cases.  This Saiban-in system functions well and it is well received by the public.


In Japan, preventing recidivism is a major issue because the percentage of repeat offenders to the number of arrested persons  has been rising.  In this regard, in our country, volunteer probation officers who are private citizens, in collaboration with government officials, support the rehabilitation of offenders in the community. 


Also I would like to reiterate recent efforts by the Public Prosecutors Office in Japan to prevent recidivism. In addition to the traditional approach in the criminal justice system, we have started a new initiative to integrate welfare with criminal justice. Cooperating with related organizations including civil sectors, we are trying to arrange an environment for  released persons who needs support to live in the local community, providing housing, jobs, medical treatments and other welfare services.


Japan will continue to foster broader public participation in crime prevention and criminal justice and further promote the rule of law in Japan.  Japan also would like to promote the rule of law throughout the international community, utilizing our efforts and experiences for international cooperation such as technical assistance and capacity building.

 
Mr. Chairperson,

The Doha Declaration refers to the importance of international cooperation in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice as well as countering terrorism, organized crime and corruption.  As a member of the international community, Japan has been implementing a variety of initiatives in order to play a proactive role to eradicate transnational crime.  Japan has contributed to the international community cooperating through the international framework, including the 1988 United Nations Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances and universal legal instruments against terrorism.  And, Japan has concluded treaties or agreement on MLA, with the U.S, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Russia and the EU.  Under these MLATs, we can provide not only non-treaty based MLA but also treaty based MLA to more than thirty countries and areas.


Through responding quickly to actual individual requests of MLA   under these treaties, Japan will continue to establish mutual trust and confidence with other countries and to promote international cooperation in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice. I hope such mutual trust and confidence would be strengthened by all Member States’ efforts to swiftly respond to MLA requests .

 
Mr. Chairperson,

The Doha Declaration also stresses on the importance of education related to crime prevention and criminal justice for children and youth. Regarding many legal fields, including crime prevention and criminal justice, many experts, including prosecutors and their staffs,  were sent to schools as instructors in order to teach law-related classes, in which they explain the way of legal thinking to the students.   Japan intends to continue promoting a wide range of law-related education.

 
Mr. Chairperson,

The Doha Declaration has decided that Japan will host next Fourteenth Congress in 2020. I understand that themes of the next Congress will be decided through the discussion among Member States , including on the occasions of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, which Japan will actively participate with other countries.  We would like to contribute to the implementation of the Doha Declaration, seeking the prevalence of a culture of lawfulness, protection of human rights and establishment of the rule of law throughout the world, while respecting various approaches based on the  different systems and cultures.
I hope that the next 2020 Congress will be a fruitful one through such a process.


     Thank you very much for your attention.