🗞️ 【3分で読む英語版天声人語】冤罪を救えない再審制度の壁
📰 English Summary
Human beings inevitably make mistakes. Judges and prosecutors are no exception. Yet when mistakes occur in the justice system, the consequences can be irreversible.
The column highlights the recent dismissal by the Kumamoto District Court of a retrial request filed by the family of a man executed more than 60 years ago in the so-called Kikuchi incident. The court’s written decision reportedly contained glaring errors, including incorrect references to constitutional provisions—some of which do not even exist.
Such mistakes are especially troubling in cases involving the death penalty, where the state exercises its ultimate power over life. Even if described as “simple mistakes,” they raise profound concerns about oversight and accountability.
The issue comes amid renewed debate over Japan’s retrial system. The Justice Ministry’s Legislative Council recently submitted recommendations on revising procedures, yet critics argue that the proposals may further restrict evidence disclosure and allow prosecutors to continue appealing decisions granting retrials.
The urgency of reform was underscored by the high-profile case of Iwao Hakamata, who was acquitted in 2024 after spending decades under a death sentence. It took nine years for a retrial decision to become final.
The column concludes with a sober reminder: because human beings are fallible, systems must be designed to recognize and correct mistakes. Imagining the consequences of error—and striving to make amends—is at the heart of what it means to be human.
🔑 Key Words
retrial — 再審
wrongful conviction — 冤罪
death sentence — 死刑判決
judicial error — 司法の誤り
accountability — 説明責任
evidence disclosure — 証拠開示
Legislative Council — 法制審議会
appeal — 控訴・上訴
Kikuchi incident — 菊池事件
Iwao Hakamata — 袴田巌
acquittal — 無罪判決
constitutional provision — 憲法条項
judicial reform — 司法制度改革
fallibility — 過ちを犯しうる性質
human consequences — 人間的影響
✍️ Emma’s Comment
Japanese
「人は誰でも間違える。」
その前提に立てば、司法もまた例外ではないはずです。
けれど、司法の誤りは、人生そのものを奪います。
時間を奪い、尊厳を奪い、ときには命を奪う。
再審制度は、その取り返しのつかない誤りを正すためにあるはずです。
それにもかかわらず、その手続きが不十分であったり、証拠の開示が制限されたりするのであれば、制度は本来の役割を果たしているとは言えません。
袴田事件が示したように、誤りが正されるまでには、あまりにも長い年月がかかります。
それは「制度の時間」であって、「人間の時間」ではありません。
このコラムの最後の問いは重い。
間違えるからこそ、どう正すかを考える――それが人間であるということではないか、と。
司法の世界に限らず、権力を持つ者ほど、自らの誤りを想像し、その先の痛みを引き受ける覚悟が求められているのだと思います。
English
“If all humans make mistakes,” then the justice system must be no exception.
Yet errors in the judiciary can take away a person’s entire life—time, dignity, and sometimes life itself.
The retrial system exists precisely to correct such irreversible mistakes. If procedures remain inadequate or evidence disclosure is restricted, the system cannot fulfill its fundamental purpose.
As the Hakamata case showed, it can take decades for a wrongful conviction to be overturned. That may be “institutional time,” but it is not “human time.”
The column’s final question is a heavy one: because we make mistakes, must we not constantly imagine their consequences and strive to make things right?
This responsibility does not rest solely within the courts. The more power one holds, the greater the obligation to confront one’s own fallibility and to bear the weight of correcting it.
📚 Source
The Asahi Shimbun (Asia & Japan Watch), Feb. 13, 2026
