Justices of the Supreme Court

Justice
OKAMURA, Kazumi
Date of Birth: December 23, 1957

image:OKAMURA, Kazumi

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.

  1. About the Supreme Court
    1. Access to the Supreme Court
    2. Organization Chart of the Supreme Court
    3. Justices of the supreme court
      1. TOKURA Saburo
      2. YAMAGUCHI Atsushi
      3. MIYAMA Takuya
      4. MIURA Mamoru
      5. KUSANO Koichi
      6. UGA Katsuya
      7. HAYASHI Michiharu
      8. OKAMURA Kazumi
      9. NAGAMINE Yasumasa
      10. YASUNAMI Ryosuke
      11. WATANABE Eriko
      12. OKA Masaaki
      13. SAKAI Toru
      14. IMASAKI Yukihiko
      15. OJIMA Akira
      16. Former Justices
    4. Topics
      1. Message on the 25th anniversary of Japan becoming an observer to the CoE
      2. FY2020 Study Meeting on Foreign Judiciary Practices
      3. Online Lecture by Former Senior Judge of the Court of Protection in the U.K.
      4. FY2021 Study Meeting on Foreign Judiciary Practices
      5. Online lecture meeting with the director of École nationale des greffes
      6. Online meeting between the judiciaries of the UK and Japan
      7. Japan-France Online Judicial Meeting
      8. Notice on Measures against COVID-19
      9. Deputy Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      10. The former Deputy President of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      11. The President of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Thailand Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      12. The Prosecutor General of the Supreme People’s Procuracy of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      13. The Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      14. Judges from Germany, U.K. and U.S. Visit the Supreme Court of Japan
      15. Chief Justice of the Supreme People’s Court of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam visits the
      16. The Minister of Justice of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      17. The Attorney General of the Ministry of Justice of Israel Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      18. The Attorney General of Malaysia Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      19. Chief Justice of Canada Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      20. The President of the German-Japanese Association of Jurists Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      21. The Head of Division, Administrative, Finance and Social Courts, Federal Ministry of Justice and Consumer Protection of Germany Visits the Supreme Court of Japan
      22. Participants of “Japan-France Law Conference” Visit the Supreme Court of Japan
      23. Participants of “Japan-Germany Constitutional Conversation” Visit the Supreme Court of Japan
      24. Judges who speak in JSIP2019 Visit the Supreme Court of Japan
      25. Errata in Court Decisions Posted on the Japanese Version of the Court Website and in the Supreme Court Civil and Criminal Case Law Report
      26. Online Seminar between the Court of Cassation, France, and the Supreme Court, Japan
      27. Online lecture meeting with Master of the Rolls in England and Wales
      28. The Honorary President of the German-Japanese Association of Jurists Visited the Supreme Court of Japan
      29. Online Judicial Meeting with Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
      30. Outline of the Press Conference by Chief Justice TOKURA on Constitution Memorial Day (2023.5)
      31. Outline of the Press Conference by Chief Justice Tokura on 24 June, 2022
      32. Online lecture was held by the President of the Higher Regional Court of Düsseldorf, Germany.
      33. Chief Justice TOKURA and Justice NAGAMINE received British Ambassador to Japan at the Supreme Court
      34. Online Judicial Meeting with the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada
      35. Online Judicial Meeting with President of the European Court of Human Rights
      36. Justices of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Thailand visited the Supreme Court of Japan(2023.2)
      37. Prof. Dr. Dr. h. c. Johannes Masing, former Justice of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany, visited the Supreme Court of Japan
      38. President of the Supreme Court of the Czech Republic visited the Supreme Court of Japan
      39. Vice-President of the Supreme Administrative Court of the Kingdom of Thailand visited the Supreme Court of Japan
      40. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Kingdom of Thailand visited the Supreme Court of Japan
      41. Online Judicial Meeting with the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom
      42. Justice of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Indonesia visited the Supreme Court of Japan
    5. Committees