Law Commons^™

"The Door That Never Opens"?: Capital Punishment And Post-Conviction Review Of Death Sentences In The United States And Japan, Daniel H. Foote

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The capital punishment system and current standards for collateral review of capital sentences appear quite similar in the United States and Japan. On a deeper level, though, the systems are moving in very different directions. Given. the extensive literature on capital punishment and capital habeas in the United States, this article focuses chiefly on Japan, examining the process by which the standards governing postconviction review have been relaxed and the impact of that change. Japan's Supreme Court bears the image of being a highly conservative, passive institution resistant to dramatic .change of any sort. Yet this examination reveals that, in …

Recent Developments - Cinematic Sex And Censorship In Indian Film, Anita Ramasastry

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This Recent Development examines the increasing presence of cinematic rape in general-audience Indian films and discusses the potential cultural origins of the cinematic portrait of Indian women as chaste subordinates to men and as frequent subjects of violence. To account for this trend, this Recent Development outlines the legal guidelines governing Indian film censorship, and in particular the guidelines regulating sexuality. From this vantage point, the use of various suggestive cinematic techniques, including the regular portrayal of rape, may be seen as attempts by directors to circumvent government censure of kissing and other intimate relations on-screen. Finally, this Recent Development …

The Benevolent Paternalism Of Japanese Criminal Justice, Daniel H. Foote

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Models for a criminal-justice system based on an ethos of rehabilitation and reintegration-such as Llewellyn's "parental" and Griffiths' "family" models-have been regarded as idealistic but unworkable in the real world, except perhaps in totalitarian or primitive societies. Professor Foote, however, has found in Japan just such a model, which he labels "benevolent paternalism." The Japanese criminal-justice system is benevolent in that its goal is to achieve reformation and reintegration into society through lenient sanctions tailored to the offender's particular circumstances. The system is paternalism in that it allows substantial discretion to the state in both gathering and using information about …

The Substantial Identity Rule Under The Japanese Novelty Standard, Toshiko Takenaka

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This article compares the novelty standard under Japanese patent law with the novelty standard under American patent law. This article first explains the structure of the novelty and inventive step provisions under Japanese patent law and examines the interpretation and basic legal theories of these provisions. The inventive step standard developed out of the novelty standard. Thus, to understand the inventive step standard, it is necessary to understand the novelty standard.

Next, this article discusses the unique features of the Japanese novelty standard. The strict novelty requirements of the patent laws of the United States and European countries are contrasted …

Nōryoku Shōgai Wo Motsu Amerikajin Ni Kansuru Hōritsu (Ada) To Amerikahō Ni Okeru Sabetsu No Gainen [The Americans With Disabilities Act And Concepts Of Discrimination In U.S. Law], Daniel H. Foote

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Paradoxical as it may seem, Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act (hereinafter, "ADA"), which deals with employment of the disabled, at one and_ the same time represents only a gradual advance over existing law and a pathbreaking new statute with far-reaching implications. On the one hand, the ADA merely builds on the foundations laid in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, with the key provisions of the ADA closely parallelling approaches taken in the Rehabilitation Act and regulations implementing it. On the other hand, the ADA vastly expands the coverage of the Rehabilitation Act, thereby establishing that integration of …

Confessions And The Right To Silence In Japan, Daniel H. Foote

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In several highly-publicized recent cases in Japan, individuals convicted of murder and sentenced to death were acquitted in retrials obtained after decades on death row. These so-called "death penalty retrial cases'" generated great controversy and considerable reflection about the criminal justice system in Japan. A central, substantive issue presented by these cases relates to the procurement and use of confessions; each of these cases-and several other major recent Japanese cases in which defendants have been acquitted following bitterly contested trials-turned on the validity of repudiated confessions.

Consequently, much recent commentary has focussed on conf essions and related issues. Not surprisingly, …

Summary Of Tokugawa Criminal Justice, Daniel H. Foote

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The summary set forth below is derived principally from the late Professor Yoshiro Hiramatsu's-comprehensive study of Tokugawa criminal justice. Hiramatsu's work focusses on the period from the promulgation of the Osadamegaki by the Shogun Yoshimune in 1742 through the end of the Tokugawa era in 1867. (As described by Professor Dan F. Henderson, Conciliation and Japanese Law, Tokugawa and Modern (1965), Vol. 1, at 7, fn. 26, the Osadamegaki, which consisted of two books, constituted "a compilation and rough codification of prior decrees and precedents", and "was the only such official attempt to systematize the law in the Tokugawa period." …

Diagnosis Of The Current Code Of Criminal Procedure, Daniel H. Foote

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Approximately 35 years have passed since the current Code of Criminal Procedure went into effect, and today the manner in which that Code is interpreted and applied appears nearly stable. In truth, for most of the provisions and systems under the current Code about which there had been many questions of interpretation and application (e.g., interpretation of the provisions concerning hearsay evidence, discovery, exclusion of illegally-obtained evidence, and abuse of the authority to prosecute), some sort of conclusion (ichid no ketsuron) has been reached. In that sense, matters have "stabilized." However, in my view much more deep-seated problems remain unresolved. …

Some Thoughts On Legal Education In Japan, Daniel H. Foote

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This piece is based upon a talk given at the Harvard Law Association of Japan meeting on December 4, 1985, by Daniel H. Foote.

Published in Japanese - English original draft provided.

The Drafting Process For Cabinet Bills, Daniel H. Foote

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I have undertaken this article in hope that it may be of some help in promoting public understanding of the actual manner of review by the Cabinet Legislation Bureau-one step in the drafting process for legislation introduced by the Cabinet-and of the diligent efforts of the r��presentatives of the various ministries with whom we regularly come into contact. It goes without saying that the views and explanations contained herein, along with any inadequacies or inaccuracies in this account, are solely the responsibility of this author.

Prosecutorial Discretion In Japan: A Response, Daniel H. Foote

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Marsha Goodman's Prosecutorial Discretion in Japan, with its thoroughly researched description of the manner in which that discretion is exercised-including several new case studies-is an important addition to English-language literature on the Japanese legal system and raises numerous interesting issues regarding the Japanese criminal justice system.

Goodman focuses much of her attention on the lengthy battle over the abuse of prosecutorial discretion doctrine in Japan. This discussion provides a fine example of a classic pattern of legal debate in Japan. As in this case, defense counsel familiar with an issue frequently initiate movements for change in criminal procedure standards …