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International News

Local Tokyo Prefectures Passing The Buck

September 01, 2012 posted by Steve Brownstein

Local governments are demanding the central government take greater responsibility in managing lists of people with criminal records, saying the sensitive nature of such information has created too much of a burden.

Although the central government frequently uses such rosters to weed out individuals considered for awards or government jobs, no law has been enacted that clarifies the legal basis of the lists.

Currently, local governments assume all responsibility for compiling, managing and handling the criminal rosters. But the lack of legislation means that local governments differ in how they compile and manage these rosters.

"There are strong doubts among many local governments over whether such work should be handled by local governments," an official of Tokyo's Adachi Ward said.

A national organization of local governments plans to ask the justice and internal affairs ministries to pass legislation to clarify how criminal rosters should be compiled and managed. Organization officials said local governments were considering refusing to respond to inquiries about criminal rosters if the central government does nothing about the situation.

The criminal rosters contain the names, birth dates, crimes and sentences of people whose sentences have been finalized.

Accidental leaks of such information could ruin careers, split families and fly in the face of the justice system that emphasizes rehabilitation.

Local governments use the criminal lists to determine who should be deleted from voter rolls. Other entities use the rosters for background checks of those applying to work.