The Virtual Personal Appearance of the Deceased: Unduly Prejudicial?

The Japan Times reports:

The Sapporo High Court has rejected a request by the bereaved parents of a junior high school student who died in a traffic accident in Hokkaido in 2003 to bring her remains to court hearings, sources familiar with the matter said Sunday.

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The parents were allowed to bring the remains into the courtroom at the district court. Misa's father, 35-year-old Hiroyuki Shirakura, said, "We would like Misa to attend the court hearings."