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 White paper on crime 2009 Part6/Section4 

Section 4  Activities of Houterasu

  The Japan Judicial Support Center (known as “Houterasu”) was established in April 2006 as the core general support system, based upon the Comprehensive Legal Support Act. The Japan Judicial Support Center, which has its main office in Tokyo and branch offices in regions where the main offices of the respective district courts are located, first commenced providing its services on October 2, 2006.
  In collaboration and cooperation with the relevant agencies and organizations, the Japan Judicial Support Center provides services that enhance information provision and thus contribute to more effective use of the system for legal dispute resolution, services that offer legal aid for civil affairs, and services concerning legal businesses in judicial shortage areas that have difficulties in finding defense counsels, etc. In the area of criminal justice, services to support crime victims, etc. and services concerning the selection of court-appointed defense counsels/court-appointed attendants are also being provided.
  Services to support crime victims, etc. include the provision, over telephone and through district offices, of information on the appropriate involvement of victims, etc. in criminal procedures and systems to help them recover from damage or mitigate their pain, and also the introduction of the activities of crime victim support organizations, etc. or lawyers well versed in crime victim support. The number of cases in which the services were used in FY 2008 totaled 8,541 cases of counseling over telephone via the crime victim support hotline, 11,403 cases of inquiries to district offices for information on crime victims or criminal procedures, etc., and 696 cases where lawyers well versed in crime victim support were introduced to victims. A system in which victims, etc. can participate in criminal trials commenced on December 1, 2008 (See Chapter 2, Part 5). The number of cases where victim participants (victims, etc. whom the court allowed to participate in criminal trials) applied for a court-appointed defense counsel to aid them in their participation (request for designation notification) was 29 (total of 32 persons) up to the end of March, 2009 (Source: The Judicial System Department, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice).
  As regards services concerning selection of court-appointed defense counsels, when it is necessary for a court-appointed defense counsel to be selected for a suspect or defendant, the Japan Judicial Support Center shall, upon request of a court, notify the courts, etc. of lawyers (including full-time lawyers) under contract with the Center as candidate of court-appointed defense counsels, and enable those selected to conduct the duties. The number of cases in which the Japan Judicial Support Center was engaged to assist selection of a court-appointed defense counsel in FY 2008 was 7,415 cases for suspects, and 69,756 cases for defendants. In addition, the number of cases accepted by the center concerning selection of a court-appointed attendant was 533 (Source: The Judicial System Department, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice).