News from the Centre of Expertise on Japan

Published by the Institute in partnership with the German-Japanese Association of Jurists, the Zeitschrift für Japanisches Recht/Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR/J.Japan.L.) documents and analyses the myriad lines of development of Japanese law. Consistent with the Journal’s editorial concept, all areas of Japanese law are covered. The German and English contributions making up the latest issue address a number of current topics and also include a legal history analysis. more

Together with the German-Japanese Association of Jurists (DJJV), the Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL), and the Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, the Institute hosted a conference titled “1985–2025: 40 Years of Research on Japanese Law at the MPI. Time to Add New Voices” from 13 to 15 November 2025. The conference featured the participation of speakers from numerous Asian countries and addressed the role and relevance of Japanese law in the region.  more

The latest issue of the Journal of Japanese Law (J.Japan.L.) cuts across a broad range of current developments, with articles and lecture papers on Japanese civil and criminal law as well as the regulation of AI and the metaverse. It also contains notes about recent Japanese court decisions on intellectual property and criminal law as well as two event summaries. more

In April 2023, comparative political process theory was the subject of an international symposium held at the Transnational Law Center of the University of Tokyo. A selection of the papers presented at the symposium have been published in a special issue of the Zeitschrift für Japanisches Recht/Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR /J.Japan.L.). more

The Zeitschrift für Japanisches Recht/Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR/J.Japan.L.) is the only publication in the world outside Japan that regularly provides coverage and analysis of current developments in all areas of Japanese law in Western European languages. Issue 57 (2024) contains major articles on topics in private law, business law, and comparative law, complemented by overviews of recent court decisions. more

In recognition of her outstanding scholarship, the Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Hamburg has selected Ruth Effinowicz, senior research fellow at the Institute and head of the Centre of Expertise on Japan, to be a Young Academy Fellow. more

Since 2008 the Institute has taken part in a cooperative exchange with the Faculty of Law at Kyoto University, as administered by the Institute’s Centre of Expertise on Japan. A researcher who for many years has contributed greatly to this exchange through his special commitment is once again a guest in Hamburg. Keizo Yamamoto, Professor at Kyoto University, is one of Japan's most renowned civil law experts. more

A new special issue of the Zeitschrift für Japanisches Recht/Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR/J.Japan.L.) presents a treatise on the Japanese system of capital punishment by Makoto Ida, one of Japan’s leading authorities on criminal law, in which he examines the meaning of retribution, the predominant theory of criminal justice in Japan. The ZJapanR/J.Japan.L. is a joint publication of the Institute and the German-Japanese Association of Jurists (DJJV). more

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