Supreme Court of Japan > About the Supreme Court > Justices of the supreme court > OKAMURA Kazumi
Justice
OKAMURA, Kazumi
Date of Birth: December 23, 1957
Career
Education:
Graduated from Waseda University, Faculty of Law in 1980
Qualification:
Appointed as a legal apprentice in 1981
Professional Career:
- 1983
- Registered as an attorney (Dai-ichi Tokyo Bar Association)
- 1988
- Received LL.M., Harvard Law School
- 1989
- Admitted to the New York State Bar
- 1990
- Joined the legal department of a global financial institution
- 2000
- Public Prosecutor, Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office
- 2001
- Senior Attorney/ Deputy Director of the International Affairs Division, Criminal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Justice
- 2003
- Director of the International Affairs Division, Criminal Affairs Bureau, Ministry of Justice
- 2005
- Public Prosecutor, Tokyo High Public Prosecutors Office
- 2007
- Counselor, Minister’s Secretariat, Ministry of Justice
- 2007
- Director for International Affairs, Executive Bureau, Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, Financial Services Agency
- 2014
- Public Prosecutor, Supreme Public Prosecutors Office
- 2014
- Director-General of the Human Rights Bureau, Ministry of Justice
- 2016
- Commissioner, Consumer Affairs Agency
- 2019
- October 2, 2019 Justice of the Supreme Court
Motto, hobbies, etc.
Things to Keep in Mind as a Justice
I will deal with each case sincerely and do my best to deliver fair justice.
In today's society with diversified values, I feel that cases brought to the Supreme Court for judicial rulings are becoming increasingly complexed and difficult to solve. I am determined to continue to improve my professional capabilities so that I am able to discuss the issues of each case in more depth by trying to grasp problems from a broader perspective and examine them from multiple angles.
Favorite Words
Words by Ms. BANDO Mariko—such as "Keep in mind that as humans, life is a gift." and "First, accept the unreasonableness of life…, and then prepare yourself and start to move forward. Such preparedness will be your underlying power.”—have encouraged me throughout my career.
Books that Left an Impression on Me
I read various genres of books. This summer, just before becoming a Supreme Court Justice, I read a collection of works by the late SHIMIZU Fusao (a tanka poet and former publisher of the literary magazine Araragi) and was impressed by the thoughts of this person of great wisdom who lived through the Showa and Heisei periods.
Pastimes
Visiting museums and fine art museums. These days, I learn Japanese fine art, traditional crafts, and architecture.