A Comparative Study of the Formation of Contracts in Japanese, German and English Law
In her dissertation, Anna Katharina Suzuki-Klasen, former research associate at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, examines the rules of contract formation under English, German, and Japanese law.
The subject of this comprehensive analysis is a trio of legal traditions that vastly differ from one another in terms of their historical development and socio-cultural characteristics. The author compares those elements that are fundamental to the formation of contracts in English, German, and Japanese law: the requirements of offer and acceptance; the intention to be bound to the terms of an agreement; other prerequisites, such as the doctrine of consideration in English law or formalities such as signatures and seals. The light she sheds on the legal histories, conceptual approaches, and standard practices of each country facilitate a better understanding of the rules.
Dr Anna Katharina Suzuki-Klasen studied law at the University of East Anglia, Norwich, and at the Universidad de Salamanca. She earned a Master of Law and Business at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg and the WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management in Vallendar. She was a research associate at the Institute's Centre of Expertise on Japan from 2014 until 2019 and received her doctorate from the University of Hamburg in 2020. She is now a postdoctoral researcher in Japanese law at the FernUniversität in Hagen, where she’s been since 2021.
Image: © Max-Planck-Institut für ausländisches und internationales Privatrecht / Ana Karolina Wolf
