Book Review: Hiroshi Oda, Japanese Law (3rd ed 2009, OUP)

This third edition textbook by University of London Professor Hiroshi Oda continues to fill an important niche in the ever-growing English-language (and even Western-language) literature on Japanese law.
It provides clear, succinct, up-to-date and comprehensive coverage. The effort to cover all major areas of law does mean some trade-off with contemporaneity, but this is largely unavoidable especially now that Japanese law has been changing so quickly and extensively since the mid-1990s. A brief Introduction is followed by parts on:
• The Basis of the System”: chapters on modern legal history, sources of law, administration of justice (including arbitration and ADR), legal profession, and human rights protection – ie the constitution); then
• “The Civil Code – The Cornerstone of Private Law”: general rules, law of obligations and contracts, property law, (only then) tort law, family law and inheritance;
• “Business-related Laws”: corporate law, insolvency law, securities (and financial instruments) law, anti-monopoly law, IP and labour law; and
• “Other Laws”: civil procedure, criminal law and procedure, international relations (eg nationality law, foreign exchange and trade law, transnational disputes).
To read the rest of this Book Review, contact me or see (from mid-2010) the Australian Journal of Asian Law.

2nd ANJeL Australia-Japan Business Law Update CLE Seminar: 13/02/10 in Tokyo

Happy New Year of the Tiger!
Registrations are now open for the 2nd ANJeL Australia Japan Business Law Update seminar: Saturday 13 February 2010 2-5.30pm at the Kasumigaseki building of Ernst & Young in Tokyo (http://shinnihon.vo.llnwd.net/o25/image/aboutus/eytax_access_mapE.gif).
Learn about post-GFC financial markets reg and (yes) the amended Australia-Japan double tax treaty. And even get 3 MCLD/PLD credits. Just A$200 – with no GST chargeable! At least some of us will follow up with an informal (PAYG) dinner.
For more details and registration please visit: http://www.usyd.edu.au/news/law/457.html?eventcategoryid=39&eventid=5139

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