取調べの可視化導入がもたらす要通訳事件における訳出検証への影響

抄録

Mandatory recording of police interviews finally started in Japan in 2019, lagging behind such countries as the U.K. and Australia, though the practice currently covers only 3% of all crimes. Mandatory recording is also what interpreting researchers have long recommended based on their studies on police interpreting. On the other hand, prosecutors in Japan have noted interpreters’ possible reluctance to be recorded due to a fear that their translations, including those with only subtle nuance issues, would later be scrutinized by the defendant. This suggests that unlike researchers, police interpreters in Japan may not necessarily welcome this change. Thus, based on 45 relevant court cases in Japan from 1951 to 2025, this paper explores: 1) whether the introduction of mandatory recording brings any changes in how the courts regard police interpreters’ translation issues, and 2) whether the enabled access to translation details influences the actual trial outcomes.