Nine out of 10 sitting judges said the number of judges should be increased. Several respondents said an increase of about 600 judges is needed.
According to legal sources on Dec. 31, the Judicial Policy Research Institute published in September a report titled "An empirical study on the status of trial practice and judges' working conditions," containing the results of a survey on this topic.
The survey was conducted Oct. 31–Nov. 8, 2024, using the court's internal network (CourtNet). Of the 3,206 judges serving in courts at all levels, 940 responded.
According to the results, an overwhelming 90.0% of participating judges answered that "an increase in the number of judges is necessary." However, the question did not distinguish among Supreme Court justices, judges at various levels of courts, or judicial researchers.
On the appropriate size of the increase, when sitting judges were asked directly about the scale, many answered that an increase of around 600 judges would be appropriate.
However, when the increase was estimated based on insufficient working hours, the study found that increasing the number by up to about 1,000 may also need to be considered.
Accordingly, the report interpreted the responses as indicating that "the 600-judge increase cited by judges is the minimum necessary increase, answered cautiously in light of practical constraints."
A total of 74.1% also said more judicial clerks, who assist judges on the bench, need to be added.
However, when asked to prioritize between increasing judges and increasing judicial clerks, most sitting judges (about 76.3%) gave priority to adding judges.
In addition, 91.1% of respondents said, "Trials are becoming increasingly difficult compared with the past, and the perceived difficulty and complexity of litigation are rising." As for tasks that create time pressure, 87% pointed to "reviewing case records."
The survey results showed that most judges are being pushed into high-intensity workloads.
A majority of respondents (52.6%) work more than 52 hours a week, and 21.0% work 60 hours or more. About 56% work overtime at least three times a week, and the shares working overtime four times (16.5%) and five times (11.9%) a week were also significant.
The report noted that a notable point is that even as judges' tenure increases, workload intensity does not ease and instead grows heavier.
Also, despite long hours at high intensity, 80% of respondents said "available working time is insufficient relative to the workload that must be handled." A total of 52.2% said they have experienced mental exhaustion and burnout.
Meanwhile, the proportion of respondents who said "I am satisfied with my professional life as a judge" was 68.0%, down 17.4 percentage points from the 2020 survey result (85.4%). The report particularly noted that the share answering "very satisfied" plunged by about 44%, saying, "Erosion of pride in the judgeship is advancing rapidly within the judiciary."
The main factors for dissatisfaction included "insufficient pay levels," "the grueling intensity of work," and "sacrifice of family (personal) life."
To improve judges' working conditions and streamline work, the report suggested exploring active use of document auto-analysis functions such as AI-based document summarization, automatic organization of evidence, and similar-case precedent recommendations.
It also said there is a need to systematize case management methods and to consider establishing a reasonable compensation system to boost job engagement.