Reference person - sankounin

A witness is a person other than a suspect, such as a victim or witness of a crime, who is requested to appear and is interrogated by a public prosecutor, a public prosecutor's assistant officer, or a judicial police officer when necessary for the investigation of a crime (see Article 223 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). Unlike a witness, a witness is not obligated to appear, take an oath, or make a statement. However, the statement of a witness is often recorded in a record and later becomes evidence (Article 321, Paragraph 1, Items 2 and 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure). A witness who may be considered a suspect is sometimes called a material witness, but unlike a suspect, a witness is not informed of the right to remain silent or the right to counsel, so these rights should be notified to a material witness as soon as suspicions arise. In addition, when interrogating a victim of a crime as a witness, special consideration must be given to protecting their rights. This is because, although victims have a general obligation to cooperate in clarifying the truth of the case, it is necessary to avoid secondary victimization by becoming the subject of an investigation. The National Public Safety Commission's Criminal Investigation Guidelines, which were revised in 1999, also include a provision that requires that investigations be conducted with an understanding of the victim's feelings and with respect for their personality.

In addition, when a committee of each House of the Diet requests an academic or other third party to provide their opinion for the purpose of examination or investigation without using a formal public hearing (Article 106 of the Diet Law, Article 85-2 of the Rules of the House of Representatives, Article 186 of the Rules of the House of Councillors), they are also called an expert witness. Third parties whose opinions are requested by administrative agencies to serve as a reference for deciding on a certain project are also considered expert witnesses.

[Ichiro Uchida and Morikazu Taguchi]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

犯罪の被害者や目撃者等の被疑者以外の者であって、検察官、検察事務官または司法警察職員により、犯罪の捜査のために必要とされる場合に、出頭を求められ、取調べを受ける者をいう（刑事訴訟法223条参照）。参考人は、証人とは異なり、出頭義務、宣誓義務、供述義務を負わない。しかし、参考人の供述は調書に録取され、後に証拠となることが多い（同法321条1項2号・3号）。被疑者とされる可能性のある参考人を重要参考人ということがあるが、被疑者とは異なり、参考人には、黙秘権の告知も弁護権の告知もなされないため、重要参考人に被疑者の疑いが生じた段階で速やかにこれらの権利告知をなすべきであろう。また、犯罪の被害者を参考人として取り調べる場合には、とくにその権利保護に配慮する必要がある。被害者には、事案の真相解明に協力する一般的な義務はあるが、捜査の対象となることで第二次被害を受けることは避けなければならないからである。国家公安委員会の規則である犯罪捜査規範も、1999年（平成11）の改正で、捜査を行うにあたっては、被害者の心情を理解し、その人格を尊重しなければならないとする規定を設けている。

　また、各議院の委員会において、審査または調査のため、正式の公聴会の方法によらずに、学識経験者等、第三者として意見を求められる場合（国会法106条、衆議院規則85条の2、参議院規則186条）も参考人という。なお行政庁が一定の事業について意見決定の判断の参考にするために、意見を求められる第三者も参考人である。

［内田一郎・田口守一］

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