According to Mainichi, for new citizen judge system planning to be introduced in May 2009, Japanese supreme court developed guidance that what kind of jobs are excusable to decline jury duty summons.
The jobs list, having over 10 jobs and situations as initial draft, includes System Engineer (often said “SE”, a bit different from the original meaning. SE is now a Japanese IT industry parlance means senior software engineer) because “they need to be dispatched for emergency in information-system trouble”.
A bill for the citizen judge system states refusal of duty is only permitted when selected citizen are: over 70 years old, student, severely ill, in charge of caring relatives and minors living together, or attending causes brutal mental and/or economical loss.
See Also:
Face of the lay judge system – The Japan Times Online
