Voices
Japan’s Lay Judges and Implications for Democratic Governance
Update. May 11,2012
By Bryan M. Thompson
On a sunny January morning in 2010, I sat high above the bustling streets of Tokyo in the central offices of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA), speaking with a professor and noted scholar of Japan’s newest judicial incarnation, the saiban-in seido, or “lay judge system.” As I listened and learned more about the Japanese lay judge system that January morning, I found it amazing that it was my position as a Sylff fellow that had led me here.
In May of 2009, Japan began formal operations of the saiban-in seido, a quasi-jury method of trial adjudication that blends elements of the Anglo-American jury and the European lay assessor adjudicatory systems. Mandated by the Lay Judge Act of 2004, this system represents the first time that Japanese citizens have been asked to formally participate in the criminal adjudicatory processes of the state since 1943. At its core, the Lay Judge Act established a form of criminal trial adjudication where citizen jurists serve with and work alongside their professional counterparts on trials where the offense falls within a limited range of high crimes. (more…)
Valentine’s Day and the Environment: A “Love Affair with Nature”
Update. Feb. 9,2012
By Dimithri Devinda Jayagoda
I visited Palawan, the Philippines, in 2010 and February 2011 to conduct fieldwork for a master’s thesis. There, I was amazed by an annual project called “Love Affair with Nature: Mangrove Plantation” conducted in the city of Puerto Princesa.
“Mangroves are trees or large shrubs, including ferns and palms, which normally grow in or adjacent to the intertidal zone and which have developed a special adaptation in order to survive in this environment”(Spalding, Kainuma, and Collins 2010). Mangroves can be found in some northern latitudes as high as 32 degrees, even though they are usually found within 25 degrees north and south of the equator (Maltby 1986). Mangroves are considered a rare global habitat. They currently make up less than 1% of tropical forests worldwide and less than 0.4% of the global forest estate (39,520,000 square kilometers) (FAO 2006). (more…)
Can Japan Make the Transition from Nuclear to Renewable Energy?
Update. Oct. 5,2011
By Lars Gaupset
On a recent visit to Japan to attend a conference in Hiroshima, I started to reflect on the tremendous changes in attitudes and energy policy that Japan has experienced in the months following the Fukushima accident, and I was impressed by the resilience of the Japanese people.
With two-thirds of all nuclear reactors being closed for routine maintenance and none reopening, Tokyo lost a fifth of its energy supply. In any other city, this would probably have led to blackouts and shortages of electricity. (more…)
Elections and Political Order: A Cross-National Analysis of Electoral Violence
Update. Aug. 25,2011
By Higashijima, Masaki
By Toyoda, Shin
Since the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Eastern bloc, the international community has actively pushed for competitive elections in developing countries. This has led to the rapid proliferation of countries with “democratic systems” in the sense that the holders of public office are filled by means of regular public elections; indeed, by this definition, there are more democracies today than at any other time in history.
Underlying the push for elections were two optimistic beliefs: that they would reduce civil strife by providing a means for peaceful resolution of conflicts within a society, and that they would improve the quality of government by giving citizens the opportunity to replace unsatisfactory leaders. As elections have proliferated, however, these sanguine assumptions have being challenged by harsh reality. (more…)
Witnessing History in the Making
Update. Aug. 19,2011
By El-Katatney, Ethar
It’s strange to think I’ve witnessed history being made. History that my children and grandchildren will study in school.
This week, I saw the man who six months ago used to be the most powerful man in Egypt, and one of the most powerful men in the region, lying on a hospital bed in an iron cage in court. Humiliated in front of the entire world. An 84-year-old pharaoh who lifted his hand up and went “Yes sir, present,” to the judge, like a schoolchild to his teacher.
Two days before that I was in Tahrir square, just before it was forcefully cleared out by the military. Where Egyptians from all walks of life had gathered to express their demands peacefully.
So many events and so many emotions. The past six months have passed like a whirlwind.
Everyone keeps asking us where do we go from here. What it’s like to be here. What things on the ground are like. What Egyptians are feeling. (more…)
Nuclear Environmental Justice in Arizona and Beyond
Update. Aug. 10,2011
By Linda Richards
Japan is still struggling to contain the radioactive contamination from the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Recently it was revealed that radiation-contaminated rice straw was used to feed beef cattle in Fukushima Prefecture. These beef cows were found to have been shipped to and sold in many parts of Japan. Japanese people are worried about the growing threat from contaminated food.
In the United States, meanwhile, Linda Richards, a Sylff fellow at Oregon State University, has been addressing the issue of nuclear environmental justice and experimenting with conflict resolution for over 25 years in a variety of forums—from the playground and the classroom to the streets—as a teacher, mediator, journalist, park patrol officer, and co-director of a small nonprofit. (more…)
Japan Is as Strong as Ever
Update. Jul. 29,2011
By Ilham B. Saenong
The author visited Japan a little more than a month following the Great East Japan Earthquake to participate in a Building a Better Asia retreat to discuss key issues confronting society and deepen friendships. Here, he offers words of encouragement and support for the country, drawing on his experience in the reconstruction efforts after the Indian Ocean tsunami.
No single human being on earth ever expects a disaster. Yet, great men are those who prepare for the worst and come out better after the inevitable strikes. And no people have a stronger passion for life and resilience than the Japanese. (more…)
On Groundedness, Preparedness, and Transitions
Update. June 8,2011
By Sherilyn Siy
Japan resident and writer on ecological lifestyles reflects on the implications of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami and offers food for thought on how, as Sylff fellows, the disaster should be interpreted.
I have three reflections about the March 11 calamity that hit the Tohoku region. The first is that earthquakes and tsunamis are disasters like no other. (more…)
Message for Japan: From the Participants of the “Building a Better Asia” Meeting in Nara
Update. May 13,2011
In late April, a little more than a month following the Great East Japan Earthquake, a group of 32 young leaders from 14 Asian countries gathered in the ancient capital of Nara in western Japan to participate in a “Building a Better Asia” 1 retreat to discuss various key issues confronting society and to deepen friendships.
Among the participants were 12 Sylff fellows from 7 countries. Following their stay in Japan, the fellows offered words of encouragement and support for the country that has been devastated by the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis. (more…)
The Mechanism behind the Egyptian ICT Revolution and Its Connotations
Update. May 13,2011
Hosni Mubarak, who had ruled Egypt for 30 years, was forced to step down in a surprising turn of events that no one could have foreseen. He succumbed to the antigovernment protests that suddenly erupted in response to calls via the Internet. Mubarak’s resignation proved to the world that ordinary citizens have the power to overturn a governance structure that had been considered absolute. (more…)
