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Katsuyuki Kizawa (Kizawa Katsuyuki; born August 27, 1951) [1] is a Japanese jurist who served as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 2016 to 2021.
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Katsuyuki Kizawa (Kizawa Katsuyuki; born August 27, 1951) [1] is a Japanese jurist who served as an associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan from 2016 to 2021.
Kizawa was born on August 27, 1951, in Japan (then under United States occupation). He attended Rikkyo University and graduated with a degree in Law in 1974. Kizawa spent over 40 years as a professor and lawyer before joining the Supreme Court.
He was admitted to the bar in 1977 under the Tokyo Bar Association, and became a permanent Councilor in 1983. He obtained several leadership positions in the Bar Association, including:
He began teaching at Rikkyo University (his alma mater) in 2004 and continued until his appointment to the Supreme Court. [1]
On July 19, 2016, Kizawa was appointed to the Supreme Court of Japan. In Japan, justices are formally nominated by the Emperor (at that time, Akihito) but in reality the Cabinet chooses the nominees and the Emperor's role is a formality. [2]
Kizawa's term ended on August 26, 2021 (one day before he turns 70). This is because all members of the court have a mandatory retirement age of 70. [2] [3]
The Supreme Court of Japan, located in Hayabusachō, Chiyoda, Tokyo, is the highest court in Japan. It has ultimate judicial authority to interpret the Japanese constitution and decide questions of national law. It has the power of judicial review, which allows it to determine the constitutionality of any law or official act.
In the judicial system of Japan, the Constitution of Japan guarantees that "all judges shall be independent in the exercise of their conscience and shall be bound only by this constitution and the Laws". They cannot be removed from the bench "unless judicially declared mentally or physically incompetent to perform official duties," and they cannot be disciplined by executive agencies. Supreme Court judges, however, may be removed by a majority of voters in a referendum that occurs at the first general election following the judge's appointment and every ten years thereafter. The judiciary was far more constrained under the Meiji Constitution than it is under the present Constitution and had no authority over administrative or constitutional law cases. Moreover, the Ministry of Justice had complete and direct control over the courts' administrative affairs. Nonetheless, Professor John Haley argues that the courts maintained complete independence in the adjudication of particular cases. "Judicial independence from the political branches was emphatically established as a fundamental principle of governance in Article 57 of the Meiji Constitution. Of all branches of government only the courts exercised authority "in the name of the Emperor." Haley argues that this was and remains a matter of great pride for Japanese judges and notes that "placed prominently in all courtrooms was the inscription "in the name of the Emperor" as a meaningful reminder to imperial officials and subjects alike that the Emperor's judges were not subject to political control or direction."
The Chief Justice of Japan is the chief judge of the Supreme Court of Japan and is the head of the judicial branch of the Japanese government.
The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1907 was made between the Empire of Japan and the Korean Empire in 1907. Negotiations were concluded on July 24, 1907.
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