Procedure to file list of lay judge candidates to start Tuesday

TOKYO, July 15 (Kyodo) - Japan's lay judge system will effectively start Tuesday, with all of the 50 district courts and their 10 branches set to embark on a procedure to file lists of candidates for citizen judges.

Some 300,000 people, randomly picked from electoral registers nationwide, will be listed as candidates to participate in trials from next May for such serious crimes as murder, robbery resulting in death, injuries leading to death, and arson.

Between November and December, the candidates will receive notices and be asked whether they wish to decline the appointment.

From next May, for each case 50-100 people will be selected from the list in a draw and those who accept the appointment will be summoned to the courts.

The lay judge system will be fully introduced in May at the 50 district courts -- the 47 located in the capitals of each prefecture plus three other courts in Hokkaido, as well as at 10 out of all the 203 district court branches such as Tokyo's Hachioji and Osaka's Sakai.

The first trial under the system is expected to be held in late July or later.