Website Rating Judges in Japan under Spotlight

Tokyo, April 12 (Jiji Press)–A website that assesses judges across Japan has gained attention for its five-level rating system and detailed commentaries on the rulings they were responsible for. “I want people to easily imagine what kind of person each judge is,” said Kazuya Tanaka, a lawyer who created the website, called “Saibankan Map” (judge map). Tanaka of the Tokyo Bar Association specializes in internet-related lawsuits. The website, created using generative artificial intelligence, shows names of judges involved in high-profile trials, along with explanations of their rulings and research papers they have published. Users can assign ratings and post reviews. According to Tanaka, the website was attracting between 20,000 and 30,000 daily viewers as of mid-March. The website was inspired by Tanaka’s dissatisfaction with rulings in a lawsuit where he represented the plaintiff. A real estate company in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, lost both district and high court rulings in the lawsuit against Google LLC of the United States seeking the removal of reviews posted on Google Maps. The high court ruling noted that online reviews reflect individuals’ subjective perceptions and evaluations of facts, and are not something that readers immediately take as facts. “The management of self-employed businesses is swayed by reviews. The ruling does not reflect the actual situation,” Tanaka said. He conceived the idea for the website after asking himself whether judges would make the same decision if they were placed in the same position as such business owners. The website has also sparked reactions from judges. “It can’t be helped that a person who lost writes this and that,” a senior judge said. “It’s helpful to be able to see what exactly was wrong from the reviews.” However, there are concerns that user reviews could lead to defamation. Tanaka said that he would remove comments if they are found to infringe on rights. “I don’t really want to attract attention only to reviews,” he said. “I hope people will look at various aspects such as judicial precedent explanations and papers.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]