Japanese High-Court Judge Visits San José

Justice Yuki Furuta of the Japanese Supreme Court visited Costa Rica last week to meet with some of the country’s judicial leaders.

His trip constitutes the first time a Japanese Supreme Court judge has visited Latin America, according to a statement from the Japanese Embassy in San José.

Embassy official Yasuhisa Suzuki told The Tico Times that Furuta made the trip to support a three-year training program for Costa Rican judges and prosecutors sponsored by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), set to conclude this year.

Furuta, a specialist in criminal law, arrived May 10 for a six-day visit that included meetings with Vice-President and Justice Minister Laura Chinchilla, Supreme Court President Luis Paulino Mora, members of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala III), and Chief Prosecutor Francisco Dall’Anese, among other leaders. He also met with personnel at the United Nations Latin American Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders (ILANUD), head-quartered in San José.

The judge capped off his visit by presenting lectures on Japan’s justice system at the Supreme Court and Costa Rican Lawyers’ Association.