Basic Japanese Civil Law

This course teaches Japanese law. It covers the legal system and basic concepts. The course starts with the study of concepts that are common to many countries, such as sovereignty, constitution, separation of three rights, basic human rights and personal security. Furthermore, it covers current issues in Japan, for example, those faced in daily life from a legal perspective based upon laws and related practices. By studying Japanese law, you learn about the relationship between law and contemporary Japanese culture and society, and then can compare it to the law of other countries.

Topics covered are sovereignty, separation of powers, basic principles of the constitution, principles of freedom of contract (the socioeconomic activity of the law in promoting functionality), the meaning of property rights (relativization of absolute principles of ownership by an aging society and commons), tort and contract comparison, accident and tort law, the characteristics of Japanese family law (including international marriage, divorce and child protection), learning of labor-related law and reform of Japanese-style employment and way of working, the court as a dispute resolution system, and the Japanese court system.

The course covers major law amendments up to March 2021.

Acknowledgement

Special thanks to Stephen Mason, barrister and Associate Research Fellow at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Study, University of London, UK for reviewing parts of this revised course.

What you'll learn

• Structure of legal system and justice system
• Basic Japanese civil law, especially the Japanese civil code
• Contemporary problems in civil law
• Methods for accessing Japanese law and legal information
• Some basic legal technical terms in Japanese