Program
The program consists of classes and field trips. The first half of each class will be a lecture and the second half will be an interactive question-and-answer session. Each class will present a number of important contemporary issues for discussion. Ordinarily, two classes will be held each day and each class consists of a three-hour combined lecture and question-and-answer session with a break.
Because all major legal institutions are located in Tokyo, field-trips provide excellent opportunities for participants to understand how law is practiced in Japan. We will visit Japanese local courts to observe how civil and criminal trials are conducted and will also visit law firms, a prison, the Supreme Court, and the National Diet.
Program Subjects
- Civil Justice
- This course provides an overview of Japanese civil dispute resolution mechanisms including court proceedings and alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Students will learn legal, social, and cultural aspects of Japanese civil justice through lectures and classroom discussion.
- Competition Law
- The Competition Law of Japan, introduced in 1947, regulates the business activities of corporations by prohibiting “unreasonable restraint of trade,” “private monopolization,” and “unfair trade practices,” and by regulating mergers, stock ownership and other matters. The goal of the law is to create a “Social Market Economy” in Japan. This lecture will make clear the structure of the law through the comparative study of the competition laws in the United States, the EU, and other countries.
- Constitutional Law
- The Constitution of Japan: universal or inherent? Our aim is to gain a new perspective on Japanese society by learning the history and characteristics of Japanese constitutional law. In turn, this will help students understand how Japan’s government and Japanese society have been transformed by the adoption and adaptation of western liberal constitutional principles. In particular, the impact of external influences such as the allied occupation after World War II and international human rights treaties are discussed.
- Criminal Law
- Japanese criminal law defines “crimes” in a highly theoretical way. The Penal Code is comprised of a list of basic elements of crimes, with several exemptions based on principles of legality and culpability. Criminal legal theory will be examined by reference to actual cases and examples.
- Criminal Process
- This lecture provides a general overview of Japan’s criminal justice process, from arrest to sentencing. Modern Japanese criminal justice practice and procedure is the product of many layers of influence. Students will learn how procedures that evolved under pre-war European continental tradition did or did not change under post-war American influence.
- Family Law
- This lecture seeks to provide an outline of Japanese Family Law by illustrating some unique features of the laws concerning family matters in Japan including historical background of the traditional family law, the structure of current law, and the family court system.
- International Law
- Unlike national law, international law is decentralized: there is no single legislature, judiciary, or executive. In most times, international law is implemented through domestic laws and institutions. However, methods of domestic implementation of international rules differ from country to country. This lecture examines how international rules are implemented in Japan.
- The Judicial System
- Japan adopted the Western legal code and judicial system (especially German) in the late nineteenth century. This system was influenced by American law after World War II. The Japanese judicial system will be explained and analyzed from historical and cultural perspectives.
- The Law of Enterprises
- This topic concerns many areas of the law important in establishing, running and closing enterprises, including company law, labor, finance, accounting, tax, and transactional law. In particular, the course will introduce the possible legal vehicles for enterprises and the legal structure for the work force, which is no longer characterized by the three well-known principles of lifetime employment, seniority and enterprise labor unions.
- Law and Information Technologies
- Information technologies have a great impact on our society and law. Many legal problems like SPAM and ID theft arise from information technologies. In Japan, there are many laws designed to address these issues. This class provides an overview of Japanese information law.
- The Legal Profession
- The Japanese legal profession developed as a divided profession, which makes a sharp contrast with the American legal profession in significant aspects. This lecture gives an overview of the history and contemporary practice of the Japanese legal profession.
- Tax Law
- This course provides an overview of Japanese tax law including the basic structure of the personal/corporate income and the VAT taxation. Participants will study how non-residents are subject to tax in Japan, if they live and work in this country.
- Field Trips
- We will visit the most important legal institutions, including the Supreme Court, Tokyo District Court, the Ministry of Justice Museum, large law firms, and a prison. Students will learn how the law is actually practised through observation. We will also visit the National Diet to observe how legislation is made.
Course Schedule (tentative)
1st week
| 9:00-12:00 | 13:30-16:30 | ||
| 23-Jul | Mon | Registration & Orientation Legal Profession | Judicial System |
| 24-Jul | Tue | Constitutional Law | Visit the Supreme Court & a Law Office |
| 25-Jul | Wed | Civil Justice | Criminal Process |
| 26-Jul | Thu | Visit a Summary court | Visit a District court |
| 27-Jul | Fri | Law of Enterprise(1) | Visit an Immigration Bureau |
*Welcome party on the evening of July 23.
2nd week
| 9:00-12:00 | 13:30-16:30 | ||
| 30-Jul | Mon | Law and Information Technologies | Criminal Law |
| 31-Jul | Tue | Law of Enterprise(2) | Tax Law |
| 1-Aug | Wed | Visit the Diet & Legislation Bureau | Visit a Law Firm |
| 2-Aug | Thu | Competition Law | Visit a Prison |
| 3-Aug | Fri | International Law | Family Law |
*Farewell party on the evening of August 3.
**Meiji University reserves the right to cancel or change the program at any time without notice.
