1985–2025: 40 Years of Research on Japanese Law at the MPI – Time to Add New Voices
Dates: 13–15 November 2025
Location: Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law, Hamburg
Registration link and (below) current program: https://www.mpipriv.de/1986946/13-to-15-november-2025-1985-2025-40-years-of-research-on-japanese-law-at-the-mpi-time-to-add-new-voices
To commemorate the 40th anniversary of Japan-related legal scholarship at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law (MPI), a major international conference will be held in Hamburg co-organised by ANJeL. Titled “1985–2025: 40 Years of Research on Japanese Law at the MPI – Time to Add New Voices,” the event will bring together emerging and established scholars to reflect on Japanese law’s impact regionally and globally.
The conference aims to transform a longstanding bilateral dialogue into a dynamic “multilogue” by inviting voices from Japan’s neighbouring jurisdictions—including South Korea, China, and Taiwan—to explore Japanese legal influence across academia, legal education, and practice. Themes will range from historical legal interconnectedness and official development assistance (ODA), to evolving patterns in research collaboration and legal training involving Japan. A conference volume is planned from the event.
Day 1 (13 November)
3:00 pm Welcome remarks
Session 1 New Perspectives on Japanese Law
Chair: Giorgio Colombo (University of Venice, Italy; substituting for Lena Foljanty from the University of Vienna, Austria)
3:30 pm Yoshiharu Matsuura (Professor emeritus, Nagoya University, Japan): Japanese ODA and legal technical assistance in Vietnam
4:00 pm Taro Morinaga (Former Prosecutor, former Director of the International Cooperation Department, Research and Training Institute, Ministry of Justice and former Director of the United Nations Asia and Far East
Institute for the Prevention of Crime and the Treatment of Offenders
(UNAFEI), Japan): The Development of Legal Technical Assistance by
Japan and Challenges
4:30 pm Ralf Michaels (MPI Hamburg, Germany): The Place of Japan in Decolonial Comparative Law
5:00 pm Discussion
5:45 pm Group picture
6:00 pm Reception
6:30 pm Keynote
Harald Baum (MPI Hamburg, Germany) / Moritz Bälz (Goethe University
Frankfurt, Germany): 40 Years of Research on Japanese Law at the MPI
Day 2 (14 November)
Session 2 Japanese Law Studies in Asia (Part I)
Chair: Béatrice Jaluzot (Lyon Institute for East Asian Studies, France)
9:00 am Alan Koh (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore): Singapore
9:30 am Hao-Yun Chen (National Taiwan University): Taiwan
10:00 am Discussion
10:30 am Coffee break
11:00 am Hongqian Zhou (East China University of Political Science and Law, PRC)
11:30 am Chul Kwon (Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea): South Korea
12:00 pm Discussion
12:30 pm Lunch break
Session 3 Japanese Law Studies in Asia (Part II)
Chair: Nobumichi Teramura (Keio University, Japan)
1:30 pm Apipong Sarntikasem (Judge in the Research Division of the Court of
Appeal for Specialized Cases (Juvenile and Family Case Division),
Thailand): Thailand
2:00 pm Rina Shahrullah (Batam International University, Indonesia): Indonesia
2:30 pm Discussion
3:00 pm Coffee break
3:30 pm Socheata Sao (Royal University of Law and Economics (RULE), Cambodia)
4:00 pm Akhadjon Khakimov (Tashkent State University of Law, Uzbekistan): Central Asia (and Mongolia)
4:30 pm Discussion
Day 3 (15 November)
Session 4 Asian Law(s) in Japan
Chair: Mai Ishikawa (Tohoku University, Japan)
9:00 am Souichirou Kozuka (Gakushuin University, Japan): Commercial Law
9:30 am Tatsuya Ota (Keio University, Japan): Past, Present and Future of Asian Law Studies in Japan
10:00 am Discussion
10:30 am Coffee break
11:00 am Hiroo Sono (Hokkaido University, Japan): The Role of Japan at UNCITRAL and AALCO
11:30 am Naoko Kano (Keio University, Japan): Asian Law in Statutory Reform
12:00 pm Discussion
12:30 pm Concluding remarks
Japanese Law Between Doctrinal and Area Studies — 2nd ANJeL-in-Europe Conference
Date: 18 November 2025
Location: Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Following the success of the first ANJeL-in-Europe symposium in Pavia [mini-issue of the Journal of Japanese Law here], ANJeL and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice will co-host the second edition of this interactive academic forum. Entitled “Japanese Law Between Doctrinal and Area Studies,” the event will be held on 18 November 2025 and continue fostering engagement between comparative lawyers, Japanese law scholars, and area studies specialists.
This conference format will again encourage short presentations followed by extensive discussion, allowing participants to present recent or ongoing research in a collegial, workshop-style setting. While complete papers are not required, participants are encouraged to submit works-in-progress, especially with a view to potential publication in the Journal of Japanese Law or a new Italian journal focusing on Asian law and society.
Themes include interdisciplinary approaches to Japanese law, developments in national scholarship on Japan, and new trajectories for comparative legal study. Presenters may also reflect on insights gained from the earlier Pavia conference. THE CONFERENCE PROGRAM/FLYER IS HERE.
Participation is self-funded, but there is no registration fee, and an informal dinner will be hosted by the co-organisers on the evening of 17 November 2025. The event is coordinated by the ANJeL-in-Europe Program Convenor, Professor Dr Giorgio Fabio Colombo, [email protected].
