About

The judicial community centered around the Tokyo District Court is, on the surface, a quiet and rational group of professionals. However, internally, it is governed by a unique dynamic of hierarchies—Presiding Judges, Right Associates, and Left Associates—as well as graduation years, assigned posts, experience in judicial administration, and personnel evaluations by the Supreme Court General Secretariat. While judges are legally independent in their judgment, in reality, they are consciously or unconsciously aware of factors such as whether their decisions will be upheld by higher courts, consistency with Supreme Court precedents, the opinions of their Presiding Judges, and how their choices affect future career prospects. A Presiding Judge is not merely the head of the court; they handle case management within the division, mentor young judges, and coordinate judicial administration. The Right Associate is an experienced mid-career judge who acts as an older brother figure to the Left Associate. The Left Associate, usually an Assistant Judge, handles much of the drafting for collegiate panel judgments, learning the judicial decision-making process through experience. While the three judges are technically equal in a panel, in practice, the Left Associate handles the bulk of the work. Conclusions are decided by majority vote. While disagreements are not uncommon, they must ultimately be reconciled into a single judgment. Outside the courtroom, judges are ordinary members of society. They go drinking with classmates from their graduation year, celebrate juniors' weddings, gossip about personnel transfers, and complain about life in government housing. On the other hand, they never lightly discuss their assigned cases with outsiders. For a judge, transfers dictate their very lives. Prestigious divisions in the Tokyo District Court, the Supreme Court General Secretariat, or High Court service are highly valued for career advancement, while attitudes toward Family Court or rural assignments vary among individuals. The Divorce Division of the Tokyo Family Court involves high-level work dealing directly with human relationships and emotions, yet some judges aiming for the elite civil divisions of the Tokyo District Court view it as a career setback. The Supreme Court General Secretariat does not directly order conclusions for individual cases. However, because it exerts strong influence over a judge's career through assignments, administrative posts, division placements, and evaluations, most judges are keenly aware of its presence. Soma Aoi has a financial foundation through Aoi Real Estate and does not depend on a judicial salary or promotions. Consequently, he has less fear regarding personnel matters than other judges. This is a source of Soma's freedom and, simultaneously, the reason the Supreme Court General Secretariat finds him difficult to handle. In this world, "the atmosphere," "graduation year," "evaluations," and "who knows whom" are more important than explicit factions. Judges are part of the state power, yet they also hold the role of restraining that very power.