Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center) and other cabinet members hold a meeting at the prime minister's office in Tokyo, September 5, 2025. Photo: Jiji Press
The commencement date for a revised law stipulating the implementation of the system was approved at a cabinet meeting.
Under the relief system, which would be available only to crime-affected people who are expecting difficulties in making living, lawyers introduced by the Japan Legal Support Center, or Houteras, will undertake such tasks as filing damage reports and criminal complaints, negotiating a settlement, and seeking damages in court.
The government plans to recognize the eligibility for the assistance, basically free of charge, if an applicant's current assets do not exceed 3 million yen, people familiar with the matter said.
The revised comprehensive legal support law, enacted in April 2024, says victims of fatal offences, such as homicide and death-causing dangerous driving, and sexual assaults are covered by the new system.
At the day's meeting, the cabinet also adopted a government ordinance stipulating the similar aid for those who were injured due to deliberate criminal acts, including robbery and reckless driving, and need more than three months to recover or became eligible for disability benefits.
Crime victims, or bereaved families, will be swamped with post-incident police interviews and negotiations with perpetrators and sometimes see their income stop and become unable to hire lawyers.
Although Houteras offers a program to temporarily shoulder lawyer fees, its scope is limited.
The government has increasingly been urged to enhance public assistance for people afflicted by serious crimes, experts said.
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