Duties of Public Prosecutors and Public Prosecutors’ Assistant Officers
Work of Public Prosecutors
1. Public prosecutors have the following duties.
To investigate cases referred by police, those involving complaints or accusations directly filed with public prosecutors and those detected by public prosecutors, and to decide whether to prosecute them in court (juvenile cases are referred to family court). Public prosecutors have the authority not to prosecute cases (suspension of prosecution etc.) due to the severity of the crimes and various circumstances even in cases that can be prosecuted (where there is sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction).
2. To prove cases brought to trial and request the court for proper judgments.
3. To supervise the execution of judgments.
4. To conduct administrative tasks as prescribed by law as a representative of the public interest.
To investigate cases referred by police, those involving complaints or accusations directly filed with public prosecutors and those detected by public prosecutors, and to decide whether to prosecute them in court (juvenile cases are referred to family court). Public prosecutors have the authority not to prosecute cases (suspension of prosecution etc.) due to the severity of the crimes and various circumstances even in cases that can be prosecuted (where there is sufficient evidence to obtain a conviction).
2. To prove cases brought to trial and request the court for proper judgments.
3. To supervise the execution of judgments.
4. To conduct administrative tasks as prescribed by law as a representative of the public interest.
Work of Public Prosecutors’ Assistant Officers
Under the direction of public prosecutors, public prosecutors’ assistant officers conduct criminal investigations, arrests with warrants and collect fines.
Duties of Public Prosecutors’ Assistant Officers
The duties of public prosecutors’ assistant officers are mainly limited to those of investigators:
・To interrogate suspects.
・To arrest with warrants.
・To arrest without warrants or request warrants in those cases.
・To request warrants for seizure, search, verification or physical examination, or to execute them.
・To interrogate third parties or to request an expert examination etc.
・To request detention of suspects for an expert witness to examine the mental or physical condition and request permission of the court for actions undertaken in an expert examination.
・To perform postmortem inspections at the order of a public prosecutor.
・To interrogate suspects.
・To arrest with warrants.
・To arrest without warrants or request warrants in those cases.
・To request warrants for seizure, search, verification or physical examination, or to execute them.
・To interrogate third parties or to request an expert examination etc.
・To request detention of suspects for an expert witness to examine the mental or physical condition and request permission of the court for actions undertaken in an expert examination.
・To perform postmortem inspections at the order of a public prosecutor.