Mitsuko Miyakawa, a lawyer with a background in law, was appointed as the new judge of the Supreme Court, and expressed her aspiration to "listen to various opinions and strive to make fair and appropriate decisions."
Judge Miyakawa is 63 years old.
He was appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court on June 6 to replace former Justice Atsushi Yamaguchi, who had retired, and attended his inaugural press conference.
As a lawyer, he has been involved in intellectual property-related trials, and has served as a lecturer at Keio University Law School and as the chairman of the Intellectual Property Center of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations = Japan Bar Association.
Judge Miyakawa said, "I would like to listen to various opinions and strive to make fair and appropriate decisions. I would like to make use of the knowledge and experience I have gained through my work so far."
Regarding recent trends in the judiciary, he said, "The digitalization of trials is expected to make it easier for the public to access justice and improve convenience, and I hope it will lead to speeding up court procedures Japan.
With the appointment of Judge Miyakawa, only three of the 15 judges of the Supreme Court are women.