The Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL) successfully hosted the Cairns Symposium on Japanese Law on Friday 16 May, with special thanks to ANJeL member and James Cook University Associate Professor Justin Dabner.
The Symposium’s primary theme was ‘Japanese Law and Business Amidst Bilateral and Regional Free Trade Agreements’, which was a timely coincidence, in light of the conclusion of negotiations for the Japan Australia Economic Partnership Agreement on 7 April 2014. However, presentation proposals dealing with other Japanese Law topics were also welcomed, and topics discussed included agricultural land law and policy, corporate law reforms, insolvency law and practice, long-term contracting, cross-border investment dispute resolution, tax treaties, emissions trading schemes and political participation rights. Please see here for previously published abstracts and see here for the conference program.
The list of presentations topics and speakers, and where possible, their presentation slides appear below.
Justin Dabner (James Cook University) “A comparison of the Australian and Tokyo Emission trading schemes”
Souichirou Kozuka (Gakushuin University) “Corporate law reform in the era of Free Trade Agreements: Do Japan and its trade partners take the same or different paths?” published in Issue 37 of the Journal of Japanese Law
Bruce Aronson (Hitotsubashi University) “Challenges for Japanese Corporate Governance in the Age of Globalization”
Emiko Morisato & Reegan Grayson Morison (Melbourne University) “Japanese insolvency law: Relationships between the courts and insolvency practitioners” Part 1 & Part 2
Satoshi Kurokawa (Waseda University) “TPP and Agricultural Policy in Japan: The reform of rural and environmental policy”
Luke Nottage (University of Sydney) “Investor-state arbitration provisions in Australia-Japan FTAs?” Part 1 & Part 2
Paul Davis (Baker & McKenzie) “Changing the deal on Japan’s long term gas contracts with Australia”
Trevor Ryan (University of Canberra) “Reclaiming the right to vote: political participation rights of adult wards in Japan and Australia” Part 1 & Part 2
Yuri Matsubara (Meiji University) “Business Administrative Agreements and Tax Laws in Japan”
Stefan Gruber (Kyoto University) “The protection of intangible cultural heritage in Japan: a comparative assessment”
“Heather Roberts (Australian National University) “What Makes a ‘Good’ Judge in Australia and Japan?”