News from the Centre of Expertise on Japan

In her dissertation, Ruth Effinowicz, head of the Institute’s Centre of Expertise on Japan, analyses the legal framework developed in post-1945 Japan to govern the activities of Japan’s armed forces, known as the Japan Self-Defence Forces. Her study focused in particular on the very strict rules for foreign deployments. more

Issue 55 (2023) of the Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR) once again covers a wide range of issues in contemporary Japanese law. Topics covered include civil liability for US military bases, private insurance in the Japanese healthcare system, the Japanese Personal Data Protection Act, the right to repair, reform of the statutory scheme on sexual offences, and climate change lawsuits. more

Issue 54 (2022) of the Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR) opens with three articles on the topic of LGBT+ rights in Japan, an area that is also the subject of a conference report. Other contributions examine Japan’s “unequal treaties” and current questions regarding corporate governance. The issue also features extensive coverage of the 2022 symposium that was held in honour of the Journal’s founder, Harald Baum. more

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. more

Reactions to Covid-19 in Japanese law and a comparative assessment vis-a-vis Germany serve as the starting point in Issue 51 of the Journal of Japanese Law. The latest edition of the periodical – co-published by the Institute – also explores the treatment of parodies in copyright law, legal liability for nuclear damages and administrative standing with a view to cremation practices. more

Since 1996 the ZJapanR/J.Japan.L. has been a central Western-language forum for academic exchange on Japanese law. With the release of Issue No. 50, Harald Baum, former head of the Centre of Expertise on Japan at the MPI for Private Law and founder of the Journal of Japanese Law, hands over editorial direction to his successor at the Institute, Ruth Effinowicz. more

In August 2020 the Centre of Expertise on Japan at the Max Planck Institute for Private Law, working in partnership with the DJJV, staged the academic event “Reactions to Corona in Japanese and German Law. A Virtual Conference in the Pandemic Era”. On 17 December 2020, a conference volume was published digitally. more

Prof. Yuko Nishitani is this year's winner of the Philipp Franz von Siebold Prize for Japanese scholars. The jurist will spend the research time associated with the award at the Max Planck Institute for Private Law, continuing her close and long-standing association with the Hamburg Institute. more

Julius Weitzdörfer, former Research Assistant at the Centre of Expertise on Japan at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, has accepted a post at the FernUniversität in Hagen (University of Hagen). His appointment as Junior Professor took effect on 1 September 2020; officially in the field of East Asian law with an emphasis on Japanese law. more

The lead article of ZJapanR 49/2020 examines the current status of Japan vis-à-vis comparative law in Europe and outlines the many intriguing activities being undertaken in the field. Thereafter, a number of authors analyse the different legal institutions existing at the intersection of traditional structures, social change and legal reform. more

On 31 May 2020, Prof. Dr. Harald Baum is retiring from the Institute and, effective 1 June, will be passing on leadership of the Centre of Expertise on Japan to Ruth Effinowicz, Institute research fellow. more

In the recent special issue of the RabelsZ journal dedicated to the topic of “Academic Career Paths for Lawyers”, Prof. Dr. Harald Baum examines the academic career paths of lawyers in Japan. more