Academic and Educational Cooperation between the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand and Kansai University, and Training Seminar for the officers from the Court of Justice of Thailand

The same the previous year, this year on 5-16 July a training program for Thai officers from the Court of Justice of Thailand has been held by Kansai University, Center for Minority Studies and Faculty of Policy Studies. There were six training themes; for instance, “Judicial Settlement of Civil Dispute and ADR”, “Policy-making in Japan – from the example of the Court and the Legislation”, etc. one of these themes was relating to “Minority Rights and the Court” and staffs from the Center has fully cooperated for the training program.  

During the 10 day-period training course, the 46 participants in this training program, (including the leader; Pinigi Sai Sa Ard, Chief Judge of the 9 division of the Supreme Court of Thailand and Comwatchara Iangong, director of International Affairs Division, Office of the Judiciary of the Supreme Court) had participated in various activities besides attending the lecture; for instance, excursion to the District Court of Osaka, the Juvenile Training School, Maishima Waste Treatment Center etc. Six themes of the lecture were given to six attendee groups. Each group had discussed on one theme and presented as a country report of the group which was supervised by Professor Kazutaka SUKIURA from Nagoya University, Professor Yasunobu SATO from the University of Tokyo, Professor Kikuo NISHIZAWA from Kochi Junior College (a researcher of this Center), Professor Yuichiro TSUJI from Surugadai University (Legal Advisor for Thai Government and researcher of this Center).

At the end of the training course, a group of six judges including Justice Wirat Chinwinigkul, Secretary General of the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand, Judge Sarawut Benjakul, and Deputy Secretary-General of the Office of the Judiciary had visited Kansai University to observe the country report and participated in certificate ceremony. In the certificate ceremony, Dean Kazuyoshi OKU of Faculty of Policy studies had delivered the certificate of participations to each attendee and Dean Eiji YOSHIDA of Faculty of Law had given them souvenirs.  In addition, the same group of  representatives from the Office of the Judiciary had participated again on 16th July for the signing ceremony for Memorandum of Cooperation between the Office of the Judiciary of Thailand and Kansai University in which the Secretary General and President of Kansai University Harushike KAZUMI had signed and shake hands with representatives from Thailand. According to this memorandum, a joint research on conditions and problems concerning judicial system of Japan and Thailand will be conducted. This Center for Minority Studies is also expected to perform a demonstrative research on movements in Thai legislation and specific judgments of the court of justice of Thailand.

Furthermore, on June 1th and 30th there was a One-Day Training Program for the Junior Judges of Thailand with 93 attendees and 114 attendees in which the emeritus professor Hiromu KURIHARA had given a lecture and Professor Nobuo KOCHU (Director of the Center) had given a lecture on “Independence of Judicial Power in Japan – the case of Otsu”.

Professor Nobuo KOCHU (Director of Center for Minority Studies and professor of Faculty of Policy Studies Kansai University)