Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1888-12-27
THE COURTS OF TOXIC
How Justice is Administered in
Japan.
Some japanese Judges Who Look Like
American N0tableS.

ToKIo.-I spent day in going through
the courts. The present judiciary and
Judicial system of japan is theoutStowth
of 81 years. hThe crude trials which
prevailed throughout Japanese fuedal
days have passed away. Torture il now
entirely unknown and hanging has taken
the place of hari bari, strangulstion,
orucitxion and decapitation in the ae-
ministration of the death penalty. There
is DO more whipping OF witnesses TO
make Them testify. The French law has
been as far as possible ada pied 10 the
Japanese wants, and one of the prene
Justices of Japan told me that the code
Napoleon would be the last of the EN-
pire. The courts were established with
the beginning OF the new reg ime in the
latter part of the sixties Nov Japan
has more than 1000 lawyers aud IL takes
1900 judges to preside over her coorts.
She has 1000 men who act rs prosecuting
attorneys and her judiciary department
contains 1900 CLERKS. Tue munster OF
the judiciary has a seat with the secretary
OF state, tho secretary of the interior, the
seer stacies OF war and navy and the
minister OF agriculture in the cabinet Of
the mikado, and the department of jos.
tice ranks next to that OF war and navy
in the number of its employees. It's
number of officials is as great as that Of
our treasury at Washington, ana it has
three courts TO our one.
The department. of justice is ram
bling structure of Two sGory houses united
by long arbor-like passages. u has bean
tiful gardens and wide drive leads up
TO the main entrance. As drove up this
in my jinriksha the Japanese servants az
the door bent themselves in salutation.
They went down TO the floor again as /
presented my note from the state depart
ment of Japan. They were all dressed
IN white duck with brass buttons and
there seemed to be messenger at every
corner as | went through the department.
They probably get about $3.50 or 81 90
week, and they have have more Timber
backs than you will find in any American
akin. rney suoked ia their breath az
they bowed, so that the noise sounded
like tin whistle while passed through
the various buildings with an Interpreter
of the department, and they kotowed
again and again in every instahce.
Our first call yyts made on the acting
minister Of justice. As | entered, the
minister the guide aud myself, put our
hands on our knees and doubled ourselves
up in Japanese salutatiOn. We arose and
vent down again, and then the minister
offered me his hand. He moti0ned me to
seat, and chatted much more freely
than does cur own attorney general Mr..
Garland. His smile was more attractive
than that of Garland's wner | told him
that We considered the japanese the
Americans of the east, end gla1 20 see
them attempt the over brow of the ORR
entail for the Christian civilization. He
talked of the improvements in the Japan
csc Judiciary, and was very ssnguins as
TO the future of his country.
Leaving him we visited the various
courts. In each oase tie superintendent
judge was our guide, and he led us from
one room 10 another, explaining the
whole mode of Japanese justice The
Japanese judges are required TO drese in
Pflnce Albert coats whom on the bench.
| They Go no. look half as dignitied az
/ their clerks who sometimes wear Japan
/ csc gowns, bot the Judges oontidtd 60 me
that they we're thinking OF adopting
robes like those OF the Judges OF Eag
land, and the supreme cOtrt iaug he'd I'm
moderately when | told them that oar
supreme judges ar Washington were "a
careful OF the cut OF their gowns ss a
lady Is of her dresses, and their eyes
opened when | told them That the gowns
cost SO apiece.
A Japanese court room, even now, is far
different from an American one, Imagine
6 room half of which is made up of a
wooden rostrum ebout three feet high,
ard tbs other half hoortd with stone.
u pom this fostrum the judges sit behind
/ littie tables, which are covered with green
cloth. In the Common Pleas and the
preliminary courts there are three OF
these tables. The judge sits at the cen
ter one. At the right is the prosecuting
attorney, and at his l.ft is the clerk. All
three nave little paint boxes before them
with brushes for writing ia black the
Japanese characters, and no stenograph
ere are dsed. Close up to this rostrum,
in the pit below, there ia low railing up
on which the prisoner places his hands
and looks mp at the Judge as he is tried.
lhere are no seats for the lawyers, and
lawyers are not allowed inside the bar.
Al the extreme back of the room one or
two benches stand for the aocommoda.
tion Of visitors, and upon these some.
times sit prisoners waiting to be tried.
There is DO jury and the judge exam
ines the prisoner himself. The prosecu-
tor states the case first, however, and the
prisoners can employ counsel. 1 watched
one or Two criminal trials. A half dozen
ofsDdars with handouts on their hands
and with their arms tied together with
ropes which were also bound around
their waists, were led by those ropes into
the courts. The handouts we're then tax
en- q and laid with the ropes on the
seats while the trial want on. As far az
I could see, the judges tried to get at Che
truth and the trial seemed TO be fair.