Comparative Study of the Release of Information on Juvenile Cases between Japan and the United States

在美国，在"强硬起来"运动的推动下，出现了一股强烈的宣传青少年身份的趋势。出版物往往是由于印刷厂的要求。鉴于媒体的功能是为公众的知情权服务，因此，将公布身份作为惩罚性制裁是没有道理的。此外，青少年的身份不属于一般公众的合法关注，因为他们不是"公众人物"。因此，公开其身份的人应承担诽谤或侵犯隐私的责任。在美国，还出现了另一种将少年法庭听证会向公众开放的趋势。这一趋势也与强硬运动有关。公开听证是少年司法的正当程序或少年司法对公众的问责所要求的。但是，作为正当程序的一项要求，青少年必须理解和参与法庭诉讼程序，并陈述自己的观点。为了使青少年能够参与自己的法庭诉讼程序以及保护隐私，需要在青少年法庭进行非公开听证，此外，成人刑事法庭的公开对抗式审判基本上与青少年参与诉讼程序不一致。问责制在民主社会中最为重要。少年司法对公众的问责可以通过对少年案件的处理提出明确而令人信服的理由或促进公民参与少年司法等方式实现。

In the United States, there has been a strong trend of publicizing the identities of Juveniles under the get-tough movement. The publication is often required by flee of press. The publication of the identities as punitive sanction is not justified in the light of the function of media that is to serve the right to know of the general public. Additionally identities of juveniles are not legitimate concern of the general public because they are not "public figure". Therefore, the person who publicize their identities should be liable for defamation or invasion of privacy.There has been another sting trend of opening the juvenile court hearings to the general public, in the United States. This trend is also related to the get-tough movement. Open hearings are required by due process for juveniles or accountability of juvenile justice for the general public. But it is essential as a requirement of due process for juveniles to understand and participate in the court proceedings and state their own views. Private hearings in juvenile courts are required in order for juveniles to participate into their own court proceedings as well as by protection of privacy.Additionally open adversarial trials in adult criminal courts are essentially inconsistent to participation of juveniles into the proceedings. Accountability is most important in a democratic society. Juvenile justice can be made accountable to the general public by ether ways such as presenting clear and convincing reason for the disposal of juvenile cases or promoting citizens' participation into the juvenile justice.