Investigating Who Uses Legal Aid: A Survey Analysis Exploring the Realities of Modern Society

My research focuses on unraveling the structure of society through surveys and data analysis. One major survey I was recently involved in was on the socio-legal studies of conflict. We conducted and analyzed a nationwide survey to determine what kind of people in modern Japanese society seek what kind of legal support from which individuals and institutions.

This was the first nationwide survey of its kind, and it was genuinely interesting to uncover unexpected findings. For instance, when disagreements or problems cannot be resolved smoothly, they can escalate into disputes in the form of mediation or litigation. We discovered that in Japan, the typical issues that escalate into disputes are monetary loans and inheritance. A comparison with other countries also reveals interesting aspects. In Western countries, those with high social status and wealth have easier access to legal aid, and this is also the case in Japan. However, Japanese people tend not to consult specialized institutions or lawyers until they are in a truly desperate situation. This is influenced by a culture that dislikes conflict and encourages a certain degree of forbearance. Another possible reason is the scarcity of specialized advisory bodies and lawyers, making them less accessible. Of course, there is also the fact that there are generally fewer chronic complainers than in other countries.

This survey was conducted with a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). It was carried out in the context of judicial reform and the lay judge system, and we also investigated the satisfaction levels of those who received legal aid and regional disparities creating "legal deserts." How to make the judiciary more accessible to the general public and the ideal form of legal aid are important themes for the future. The results of our analysis will be used to inform future policy recommendations.

Even when conducting social surveys, many things can remain ambiguous. Therefore, the real pleasure of being a researcher lies in figuring out how to organize and analyze the data to explain these ambiguities. I hope to continue capturing and conveying the realities of our rapidly changing modern society, while also delving into the question of why these realities came to exist.

The Faculty of Letters at Keio University may be strongly associated with the humanities. However, research in the social sciences—such as social psychology, behavioral science, sociology, and cultural anthropology—is also thriving here. I hope that students interested in these fields will be inspired to follow this path.