My Past and Future as a Legal Professional

I was busy competing as a member of the Judo Club until my fourth year of university, so I then enrolled in the course for students who have no experience in studying law at Chuo Law School. Afterwards, I somehow managed to pass the bar exam and was appointed as a judge in January 2018. I served as an associate judge in criminal cases at the Hiroshima District Court for over three years and civil cases at the Fukuoka District Court for about two years. (I was in the Medical Specialization Department, so my cases were mainly medical malpractice lawsuits). After working on legislation at the Financial Services Agency from April 2023, I started working as a lawyer at AI-EI Law Firm from April 2025.

Although I am still relatively inexperienced as a legal professional, the experience which I have has been wide-ranging. In this article, I would like to reflect on my career thus far and introduce the type of work I have done, as well as touch on my future as a legal professional.

At the Hiroshima District Court, I was in charge of criminal cases as the left associate judge. I handled about 20 Saiban-in (lay judge) cases. Incidentally, there are two types of trials: cases heard by a judicial panel of three judges and cases heard by a single judge. Initially, a judge can only hear cases as part of a judicial panel. In such trials, the judge who sits in the center of the courtroom is the presiding judge, the judge seated to the right of the presiding judge (to the left of the presiding judge when viewed on television and other media) is called the right associate judge, and the judge seated to the left of the presiding judge (to the right of the presiding judge when viewed on television and other media) is called the left associate judge.

In criminal cases, a judge considers whether or not the evidence proves the guilt of the defendant beyond a reasonable doubt. If the defendant is determined to be guilty, then the judge arrives at a verdict by considering the severity of the sentence that should be imposed on the defendant. My experience in criminal cases has taught me to carefully assess the extent to which facts can be established from evidence. Since the profession of judge involves making extremely important decisions that affect people's lives, I have developed a strong sense of the importance of sincerely facing each case and the people involved. Furthermore, my experience in lay judge trials has trained me to think about how to explain legal concepts in a manner which is easy to understand for people who are not legal professionals. I have also learned how to proceed with deliberations with lay judges. All of this has deepened my comprehension of legal concepts.

In contrast to my responsibilities at the Hiroshima District Court, at the Fukuoka District Court, I served as a left associate judge in civil cases, mainly medical malpractice lawsuits. I had not been involved in civil cases at the Hiroshima District Court, so this was a new start for me. In the beginning, I was navigating unfamiliar territory and thankfully received a lot of guidance. Similar to my experience with criminal cases, it was extremely valuable to be exposed to the knowledge of the presiding judge and the right associate judge through deliberations, and to learn how to interpret various cases. Moreover, since the focus was on medical cases, I began to read basic books on medicine. (Even in situations completely unrelated to work such as when my child caught a cold, I found myself quickly looking things up in medical books.).

In civil trials, after a lawsuit is filed by the plaintiff, the issues are clarified. If the case requires examination of witnesses, those examinations are conducted before a judgment is reached. I struggled with how to proceed with the case in order to grasp the overall picture of the dispute at an early stage, accurately organize the issues and evidence, and move the trial forward swiftly.

Also, unlike criminal cases, civil cases can be resolved by settlement rather than a verdict. Settlements can be reached at various times, such as after the issues have been clarified or after witnesses have been examined. As a judge, I spoke with both parties after carefully considering their arguments and the evidence, forming a preliminary impression of what the likely outcome would be if a judgment were rendered, and then assessing whether a settlement might be possible based on that understanding. I clearly remember a case in which one of the parties was not represented by a lawyer. After carefully listening to the opinions of each party, I helped guide the case to a settlement. When the party representing himself was leaving the courtroom, he expressed relief and gratitude at having a judge who carefully listened to the statements of both parties and facilitated a settlement.

Being seconded to the Financial Services Agency (FSA) was another big change from my previous duties. Upon being seconded to a government ministry, a person's role changes from judge to prosecutor. At the FSA, I was in charge of drafting the Act on the Promotion of Cash Flow-Based Lending (Act No. 52 of 2024), which was enacted in June 2024. I assumed my post at the FSA after the issuance of a report by the Working Group on Legal Institutions for Cash- flow-based Lending Practices in February 2023. While examining the bill leading to the Act, I studied the contents of the report and various provisions of the Bankruptcy Act. Prior to working at the FSA, I didn't have a clear understanding of how laws are enacted, but now I understand the process: The contents of provisions are examined internally and then reviewed by the Cabinet Legislation Bureau. The Cabinet Legislation Bureau rigorously reviews the provisions from various legal and legislative technical standpoints. For example, the Bureau ensures that the wording is appropriate, checks for any errors in the use of words and terminology, verifies relationships with the Constitution and other existing laws, and ensures that the intent behind the draft is accurately expressed in the legal text. After multiple exchanges with the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, a bill is formed and then submitted to the Cabinet for deliberation. After the Cabinet makes a decision, the Prime Minister submits the bill to the Diet. After deliberations in both the House of Representatives and the House of Councillors, the bill is passed by both houses, and then becomes law and is promulgated. I was involved from the review of the draft articles to the promulgation of the law, and learned the background to how articles are created. This experience has broadened my scope of legal interpretation.

After that, I was also involved in the Money Lending Business Act. Specifically, I was involved in the section pertaining to the Money Lending Business Act as part of the Working Group on Payment Services Systems. I also examined the interpretation of inquiries regarding the Money Lending Business Act. In particular, examining what constitutes money lending subject to the Money Lending Business Act gave me the opportunity to deeply engage with legal interpretation, including the wording of the provisions, the purpose of the law, and legislative history.

Although my work has been very rewarding, I decided due to family circumstances to retire from my position as a judge and work as a lawyer. I work as a lawyer at an office that specializes in resolving corporate disputes and labor issues. I have also been given the opportunity to teach compliance-related courses as a Part-Time Lecturer at Chuo Business School.

As a lawyer, I think about what measures I can present for the benefit of my clients. Although my experience as a judge or at the FSA is not directly related to my current duties, the common thread is concepts which I learned through my experience as a legal professional; for example, what facts can be established from evidence, how to interpret the law, and how to apply facts based on the legal interpretation. These concepts are also important when considering compliance. I will continue to use my experiences as a springboard to sincerely engage in each case, strive to contribute to my clients, and steadily grow as a legal professional.