The Supreme Court of Japan invited The Hon Stephen Gageler AC, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia
The Honourable Stephen Gageler AC, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, visited Japan at the invitation of the Supreme Court of Japan from 1 to 7 March. Chief Justice Gageler paid visits to the Supreme Court, the Tokyo High Court, the Tokyo District Court, the Business Court (the Intellectual Property High Court and the Nakameguro Office of the Tokyo District Court) and other institutions.
At the meeting with Chief Justice IMASAKI, Chief Justice Gageler had discussions about exchanges between the courts of Japan and Australia, as well as the challenges faced by the judiciaries of both countries in a friendly atmosphere.
Chief Justice Gageler gave a lecture titled “Australia’s Constitutional and Judicial System”. Chief Justice Gageler made a speech covering a wide range of topics, from the origins of the Australian Constitution to the role played by the High Court of Australia, as well as contemporary issues such as the impact of technology on judicial proceedings and had a lively exchange at the Q&A session with the audience. The lecture was conducted as part of the Specialized Workshops on Foreign Legal System at the Judicial Research and Training Institute. It was also streamed online and viewed by many judges and other court officials across Japan.
An exchange of views also took place between Chief Justice Gageler and the Justices of the Supreme Court. They held candid discussions on a wide range of topics concerning the courts and the judiciary, including the role to be played by the judiciary, and further strengthened their relations.
In addition, Chief Justice Gageler actively engaged with members of the Japanese judiciary through a meeting with the President of the Tokyo High Court and a roundtable discussion with younger judges and also deepened his understanding of Japan’s judicial system by observing a saiban-in (Lay judge) trial.
Chief Justice Gageler noted that the series of events on this occasion had been highly meaningful and had provided an excellent opportunity to further strengthen the relations and dialogue between the judiciaries of the two countries.
