which the judge delivered a not guilty verdict because they ruled that there was insufficient evidence to ascertain that the defendants did the accused deed, the judge suffered no negative consequence. For this reason, the paper argued that Japanese judges are politically conservative in legal interpretation but are not biased in a matter of fact. Japanese trials before the institution of the current lay judge system were discontinuous. The defense and the prosecutor would first gather in front of the judges and present the issue. Then, the court would enter recess, and both sides would go back to prepare their case. As they reconvened on different dates, they would then present each case, which the judges examined: the court would be put in recess again and each side would go back to gather further evidence. Some complex trials took years or even a decade to conclude, which is impossible under a jury system. During the questioning of evidence, judges were explicit about their opinions by the way they questioned the evidence, which gave greater predictability about the final verdict. For this reason, the prosecutor is far more likely to bring in the case where conviction is assured, and the accused is far more likely to settle. Moreover, the paper found that Japanese prosecutors have a far more pressing need to be selective. Out of a population of 125 million, the Japanese government only employs a mere 2,000 lawyers. Despite Japan having a low crime rate, such numbers create a significant case overload for prosecutors. According to Bruce Aronson of New York University School of Law, Japan's conviction rate is misleading because it is the rate at which defendants admit guilt in the cases they are charged with. According to him, if the method of calculating the conviction rate in Japan is applied to the United States, the conviction rate of federal defendants in the United States in 2018 was also over 99%. According to him, when there is a discussion about Japan, it is easy to misunderstand because people quickly rely on broad cultural generalizations and stereotypes. Confessions in Japanese criminal investigations Various human rights organizations has alleged that the high conviction rate is due to the rampant use of conviction solely based on forced confessions, including those that are innocent. Confessions are often obtained after long periods of questioning by police, as those arrested may be held for up