再審

• Reading: さいしん
• Romaji: saishin
• Kanji breakdown: 再 (sai) — again, re-; 審 (shin) — scrutinise, deliberate
• Pronunciation: /sa.i.ɕiɴ/

Meaning

Retrial; review; rehearing. The reopening of a concluded legal case in light of new evidence or judicial error.

A formal legal procedure allowing a convicted person to request a new trial when substantial new evidence emerges or procedural violations are identified. In Japan, 再審 cases — particularly those involving capital punishment — have attracted significant public attention, with several death row inmates eventually acquitted after decades of wrongful imprisonment. The term is also used more broadly in administrative contexts to mean a second review of a decision.

Examples

1. 無実を主張し続けた死刑囚が、証拠の再鑑定をきっかけに再審無罪となった。 A death row inmate who continued to protest his innocence was acquitted at retrial following a re-examination of evidence.
2. 弁護団は新たなDNA鑑定結果をもとに裁判所に再審請求を申し立てた。 The defence team applied to the court for a retrial on the basis of new DNA analysis results.
3. 冤罪被害者を救うためには、再審制度の運用をより柔軟にすることが求められている。 Making retrial procedures more flexible is needed in order to rescue victims of wrongful conviction.

Usage Guide

Context: law, criminal justice, journalism, human rights

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 再 (sai, again, re-) and 審 (shin, deliberate, scrutinise). The character 審 depicts careful, thorough examination. Together they signify a second thorough judicial scrutiny of a matter already decided.

Cultural Context

Era: Meiji–Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Educated