TOKYO, Dec. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The Japanese Justice Ministry has begun studying the feasibility of introducing legislation that would allow crime victims and their families to play a greater role at the trials of defendants.

    A study panel on criminal victim policy set up in September last year has studied the feasibility of allowing victims and their families to question defendants during trials in addition to questioning by judges and prosecutors,  according to a preliminary report released by the ministry Wednesday.

    While there have been growing calls from crime victims to allow them to have more say during trials,  lawyers have taken a cautious view of the trend.

    With defendants being assumed innocent until the conviction becomes final, it would be problematic to hold trials by setting the presence of victims as a premise and allowing them to take part in the trials, the Japan Federation of Bar Associations said.

    The government expanded the rights of crime victims and their relatives in line with growing public support for such rights following efforts by the family of Shun Katayama,  an 8-year-old boy killed in a traffic accident in 1997 in Tokyo.

    The driver of the dump truck that hit and killed the boy was not indicted at first. But as the result of his family's efforts, prosecutors indicted the truck driver in 1998.

    Victims and their relatives were given the right to testify at trials in November 2000 following revisions to the Code of Criminal Procedure.  Enditem