Section 3  Activities of Houterasu

  Based on the Comprehensive Legal Support Act, the Japan Legal Support Center (known as “Houterasu”) was established on April 10, 2006, as the core general support system. The Japan Legal Support Center, which has its main office in Tokyo and branch offices in cities where the main offices of the respective district courts are located, commenced services on October 2, 2006.
  In collaboration and cooperation with relevant agencies and organizations, the Japan Legal Support Center offers services to enhance information provision contributing to effective use of the system for legal dispute resolution, services to offer legal aid for civil affairs, services concerning legal affairs in the areas of judicial shortage that have difficulties in finding legal experts such as attorneys-at-law, services to support crime victims, etc., and services concerning the selection of court-appointed defense counsels/court-appointed attendants.
  Services to support crime victims include the provision of information on appropriate involvement in criminal procedures and on systems to recover from damages or mitigate pain, and also the introduction of the activities of crime victim support organizations, etc. or lawyers well versed in crime victim support, through telephone calls and 50 district offices established nationwide. The number of cases in which the services were used in FY2007 totaled 6,296 counseling by telephone cases, 8,301 inquiries to district offices about crimes or criminal cases, and 590 cases where lawyers well versed in crime victim support were introduced (Source: The Judicial System Department, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Justice).
  Substantial services concerning selection of court-appointed defense counsels are such that, when it is necessary to select court-appointed defense counsels for suspects or defendants, the Japan Legal Support Center shall, upon request of a court, notify the courts, etc. of lawyers under contract with the Center as candidate court-appointed defense counsels, and enable those selected as court-appointed defense counsels to conduct the duties. The services of the Center will ensure the right of suspects and defendants to receive support from lawyers in a substantial manner and contribute to the realization of enhanced and prompt criminal trials through the establishment of a system where court-appointed defense counsels can be selected promptly and certainly nationwide. The number of cases in which the Japan Legal Support Center accepted the selection of court-appointed defense counsels in FY2007 was 6,775 for suspects, and 71,305 for defendants. In addition, services concerning the selection of court-appointed attendants have been in place since November 2007 in accordance with the enforcement of court-appointed attendant system. The number of cases in which the Japan Legal Support Center accepted the selection of court-appointed attendant up to March 2008 totaled 210 (Source: The Judicial System Department, Minister's Secretariat, Ministry of Justice).