ADR - ADR

Japanese: ADR - ADR/えーでぃーあーる

A general term for a method of settling everyday disputes such as "I was tricked into buying a defective product from a door-to-door salesman, but he won't accept my return" or "The noise from the neighbors is bothering me" by having a third party with specialized knowledge intervene instead of going to court. ADR stands for "Alternative Dispute Resolution" and is usually translated as "out-of-court dispute resolution procedures." As part of the reform of the judicial system, the "Act to Promote the Use of ADR" was enacted in April 2007. Compared to court cases, ADR has the advantage of being simpler, less time-consuming, and less expensive. In addition to court-run mediation, there are many private ADR institutions, but their use has not progressed due to a lack of recognition. The Act to Promote the Use of ADR created a system in which the Minister of Justice certifies ADR institutions on the condition that they are not involved in the activities of organized crime groups and have a support system of lawyers, and also established a system to suspend the statute of limitations so that the right to claim damages does not disappear while a certified organization is being requested to resolve the dispute. Since the law came into force, organizations such as the Japan Sports Arbitration Agency, which resolves disputes over Olympic representative selection, have received certification, and the Ministry of Justice expects to receive applications from around 100 organizations by the end of fiscal 2007.

(Miako Ichikawa, Asahi Shimbun reporter / 2008)

ADR

Please see the Alternative Dispute Resolution page.

Source : "Chiezo" published by Asahi Shimbun Publications Co., Ltd. About Chiezo

Japanese:

「訪問販売で不良品を買わされたのに、返品に応じてくれない」「隣家の騒音が気になる」といった身近なもめ事を、正式な裁判ではなく、専門知識を持つ第三者機関に間に入ってもらって解決する方法の総称。英語の「Alternative Dispute Resolution」の略で、通常「裁判外紛争解決手続き」と訳される。司法制度改革の一環で、2007年4月に「ADR利用促進法」が施行された。裁判と比べて、手続きが簡単で時間がかからず、費用も安く抑えられるメリットがあり、裁判所が行う調停などのほかに多数の民間のADR機関があるが、知名度不足などから利用が進んでいなかった。促進法では、活動に暴力団がかかわっていないことや弁護士の支援態勢があることなどを条件に法務大臣がADR機関を認証する制度を作り、認証を受けた団体に解決を依頼している間は、損害賠償などを請求する権利が消滅しないように時効を中断するなどの制度も設けた。法施行後、オリンピックの代表選考のトラブル解決などを行う「日本スポーツ仲裁機構」などが認証を受けており、法務省は07年度中に100程度の機関からの申請を見込んでいる。

(市川美亜子朝日新聞記者／ 2008年)