Lawyers in march call for continuation of scholarship program for legal apprentices

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Lawyers in march call for continuation of scholarship program for legal apprentices

About 2,000 lawyers on September 16 marched through the government office district in Kasumigaseki to the Diet building, opposing the government’s plan to abolish the scholarship program for legal apprentices in November.

This march was organized by the Japan Federation of Bar Association (JFBA). Legal apprentices, law school students, and supportive citizens took part in the march.

The JFBA in April established a taskforce on this issue and has so far collected 350,000 signatures opposing the government plan.

At a rally held before the march, Ichikawa Masako who lost her 16-year-old son in an elevator accident in 2006 said, “For victims, the most reliable person to turn to is a lawyer. If lawyers aren’t sensitive to our sufferings, we have no one to ask for legal assistance. There should be more lawyers who can emphasize with people’s pain and suffering.”

Among participants in the march, a 25-year-old man who works to support homeless people said, “Attending a law school would cost six million yen, so I gave up my dream of becoming a lawyer.”

The Court Act requires those who pass the national bar examination to receive one-year training in a legal apprenticeship. During the training period, they are prohibited from having part-time jobs. Some trainees have to move to the place where they are to receive the training. In order to cover their living costs, the government provides a 200,000 yen monthly stipend for trainees.

However, the government revised the law in 2004 in order to abolish the grant to legal apprentices in November 2010 and introduce a loan program instead. Under the new loan program, the Supreme Court will lend 280,000 yen a month at maximum to legal trainees who have financial difficulties. Borrowers are required to pay back the loan within 10 years after starting their judicial career.

The JFBA survey result showed that half of current legal apprentices are in debt. The amount of their debt is 3.18 million yen on average. An increase in financial burdens on those who aspire to be lawyers will discourage them from working for the judiciary.

Only the Japanese Communist and the Social Democratic parties opposed the government decision to revise the law in 2004.

- Akahata, September 17, 2010