International Commercial Arbitration in Asia: A Fuller Account

USyd Prof Vivienne Bath and I are writing a chapter on this (and Mediation) for the Oxford Handbook of International Trade Law in Asia (co-edited by Prof Julien Chaisse et al). Due to the tight word limit we move here some of our material, for readers interested in delving more deeply or widely into the topics compared to our published version. In particular, we delve deeper into the headline statistics on international commercial arbitration (ICA) case filings recorded across Asian institutions, especially in Singapore, compared say to Harvey AI which produced the summary Tables below: the first for Asia-based arbitral institutions, and the second adding Asia-related ICA case numbers for major non-Asian institutions:

  • Introduction

Asia is a large and diverse region, with disparate systems of law and dispute settlement. These range from China’s socialist legal system with influences from across the world; the common law jurisdictions of India, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia; and the civil law systems of Japan (with common law infusions), Korea, Thailand, Indonesia and others regionally. Each has its own history and features, reflecting local conditions.  In the space available, it is not possible to discuss all of these jurisdictions.[1]  This chapter looks mainly at international commercial arbitration (ICA) through major arbitral institutions particularly North and Southeast Asian Region, focusing on the three centres in the region which have had the most success in attracting arbitration case filings both regionally and internationally and in building international reputations: Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC), Hong Kong International Centre (HKIAC) and China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Centre (CIETAC).  It briefly discusses other developments in some other Asian centres, as well as ad hoc arbitration (especially in India) and international mediation.

ICA (as well as domestic arbitration, in some states) has grown strongly in Asia since the 1990s – especially over the last 15-20 years. This confounds some commentators who argued arbitration would not flourish due to “Asian values” favouring harmony and consensual dispute resolution (DR).[2] Yet there has been limited growth in international commercial mediation (and indeed domestic mediation for business disputes) from private suppliers of mediation services. This is despite some emergent government and institutional support in some Asian countries for mediation in cross-border commercial disputes, and many signings – albeit still not many ratifications – of the 2018 Singapore Mediation Convention.[3]

The chapter examines the relationship between the growth of arbitration and the functionality of domestic courts and wider civil justice systems; enforceability problems across the region; and the role of government as well as the courts in supporting ICA and mediation.

Overall development of Asian arbitration

Governments in Asia have increasingly shown an interest in encouraging ICA. With the exception of North Korea, almost all Asian nations are parties to the 1958 New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (NYC).[4] The enforcement regime for arbitral awards under the New York Convention offers substantial potential benefits over domestic court systems and the difficulties of enforcing foreign judgments.

To create a viable alternative DR forum for international commercial contracts, and to clarify the role of domestic courts in supervising arbitrations, many Asian nations also updated their arbitration statutes. Many adopted in some form, as a reputable international template, the United Nations Commission on International Commercial Arbitration (UNCITRAL) Model Law on ICA (ML).[5]  Other states may be influenced by ML concepts and other international developments. China (discussed below) provides a good example.

In addition, many Asian nations (except notably India, Thailand and Vietnam) have acceded to the framework 1965 Washington Convention, assisting enforcement of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) arbitration through the International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).[6] ISDS is briefly mentioned as it enhances familiarity with international arbitration generally, albeit sometimes generating controversy.[7]  Most Asian nations (except Myanmar and Nepal) are also contracting parties to the Permanent Court of Arbitration, with Indonesia (2026) the most recent Asian nation to accede.[8]

There has also been substantial growth in the number of arbitral institutions across Asia offering ICA and/or quite often mediation services.  Some have attracted significant number of ICA filings, but these may not be widely known. For example, the Vietnam International Arbitration Centre (VIAC) has recorded a considerable increase in arbitrations filed, especially over the last three years.[9]  Yet the success of the numerous institutions around Asia in attracting ICA remains highly variable, with some very successful institutions (discussed below in more detail) and other institutions that have hardly attracted any international cases.

Overall, despite the lack of concrete region-wide statistics, it appears that there has been strong growth in ICA in the Asian region taken as a whole. Recent statistics published by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), for example, indicate substantial interest in ICA across Asia.  Of the 881 cases filed under the ICC Arbitration Rules in 2025, 13.9 percent were from East and South Asia and the Pacific while 10.6 percent were from the Middle East and Central Asia.[10] Another Western-headquartered arbitration institution with a significant caseload involving Asian parties is the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), created as a specialist division of American Arbitration Association in 1996. For example, it recorded 848 international cases filed in 2023, when about 351 Asian parties used ICDR services (174 from China and 32 from India, the second-largest group).[11]

Statistics published by individual Asia-based institutions also show mostly an increase in cases, albeit with some variability and exceptions.[12] However, care is needed (and exemplified below) when analysing reported ICA statistics. First, some centres (notably CIETAC and VIAC) adopt a broader definition of “international” when counting cases, extending beyond “truly” international cases where parties come from different states (the main ML definition) to encompass foreign related or “quasi-international” cases between a local company and an affiliate of a foreign company. Secondly, some institutions may count cases “handled”, including not only those administered under their own Rules, but also those under others like the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules designed originally for ad hoc arbitration (so with the institution playing more limited roles), or even where the institution makes a default arbitrator appointment under background arbitration law (as with SIAC).

In addition to ad hoc arbitration, plus institutional arbitrations administered under ICC and ICDR Rules, three (more or less state-backed or supported) Asian institutions have been particularly successful, not just in the region but also for users outside Asia. According to the most recent well-regarded international arbitration survey by Queen Mary University of London with White & Case,[13]  Singapore, Beijing and Hong Kong were all ranked globally in the top five seats for ICA, along with London (first) and Paris (fifth). Their arbitration rules were similarly ranked highly: third was SIAC, second was HKIAC and sixth was CIETAC, after ICC (first), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA, fourth) and the UNCITRAL Rules (fifth). While all three are in the top five most preferred arbitration rules by region (with the ICC and Shenzhen Court of International Arbitration or SCIA, in the Asia-Pacific), only Singapore (along with LCIA) has the distinction of being in the top five in all regions.  HKIAC and SIAC have been particularly successful in attracting arbitrations from areas outside Hong Kong and Singapore.  SIAC became very attractive to Indian parties. HKIAC has a strong international clientele, but is especially attractive to parties to China-related arbitrations. CIETAC, unsurprisingly, has been popular with Chinese parties.


[1] See generally eg Julien Chaisse and Luke Nottage (eds), International Investment Treaties and Arbitration Across Asia (Brill 2018); Michael J Moser (ed), Arbitration in Asia (2nd edn, JurisNet 2022); Raymond Leung, Asia Mediation Handbook (Sweet & Maxwell 2015); Shahla Ali and others (eds), New Frontiers in Asia-Pacific International Arbitration and Dispute Resolution (Kluwer Law International 2021); Nobumichi Teramura, Luke Nottage and Bruno Jetin (eds), Corruption and Illegality in Asian Investment Arbitration (Springer 2024) (open access) <https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-99-9303-1> accessed 27 July 2026. [could consider cutting down this footnote if short of space LRN well we have to cut hugely especially eg Parts 1 and 2 anyway]

[2] cf generally Michael Pryles and Veronica Taylor, ‘The Cultures of Dispute Resolution in Asia’ in Michael Pryles (ed), Dispute Resolution in Asia (Kluwer Law International 1997) 1.

[3] United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation (adopted 20 December 2018, entered into force 12 September 2020) (Singapore Convention on Mediation). See generally Nadja Alexander, Shouyu Chong and Vakho Giorgadze, The Singapore Convention on Mediation: A Commentary (2nd edn, Kluwer Law International 2022).

[4] Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards (adopted 10 June 1958, entered into force 7 June 1959) 330 UNTS 3 (New York Convention); ratification status at <https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/arbitration/conventions/foreign_arbitral_awards>.

[5] Adopters include Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Macao, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and the UAE.  The ML has not been adopted in Afghanistan, China, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Lao PDR, Nepal, Taiwan or Vietnam.  See UNCITRAL, UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration (1985), with amendments as adopted in 2006; adoption status at <https://uncitral.un.org/en/texts/arbitration/modellaw/commercial_arbitration/status>.

[6] Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes between States and Nationals of Other States (adopted 18 March 1965, entered into force 14 October 1966) 575 UNTS 159 (ICSID Convention); ratification status at <https://icsid.worldbank.org/about/member-states/database-of-member-states> accessed 27 July 2026.

[7] Teramura, Nottage and Jetin (n 1); Luke Nottage, ‘Evolving Antipodean, Asian and European Ambivalence Around ISDS Arbitration: A Compromise Way Forward?’ (2026) 34 Griffith Law Review (forthcoming).

[8] Permanent Court of Arbitration, ‘Contracting Parties’ <https://pca-cpa.org/en/about/introduction/contracting-parties/> accessed 7 July 2026.

[9] Vietnam International Arbitration Centre, ‘Statistics on Dispute Resolution Activities in 2025’ <https://viac.vn/en/statistics/statistics-on-dispute-resolution-activities-in-2025-s49.html> accessed 27 July 2026.  Although almost half of the 532 cases filed in 2025 were foreign-related, this may include foreign invested enterprises in Vietnam rather than foreign parties.

[10] International Chamber of Commerce, ‘ICC Dispute Resolution 2025’ <https://www.iccwbo.org> accessed 9 August 2026.

[11] See <https://www.faegredrinker.com/en/insights/publications/2024/9/icdr-jams-scc-and-hkiac-release-caseload-statistics-for-2023>  and <https://www.reedsmith.com/articles/icdrs-strategic-vision-for-asia/>, accessed 13 August 2026.

[12] Each institution has its own way of setting out statistics, particularly in relation to the question of what constitutes a foreign or international case.

[13] White & Case and Queen Mary University of London, ‘2025 International Arbitration Survey: The Path Forward: Realities and Opportunities in Arbitration’ (2025) <https://www.qmul.ac.uk/arbitration/media/arbitration/docs/White-Case-QMUL-2025-International-Arbitration-Survey-report.pdf> accessed 22 June 2026, charts 3, 4 and 5.

Singapore and SIAC

To bolster cross-border investment and trade, Singapore was quite quick within Asia to ratify the NYC, in 1986. After the ML was agreed in 1985, Singapore also adopted that as the template for its International Arbitration Act 1994. For domestic arbitrations, Singapore replaced its remaining arbitration statute based on English law with the ML-based Arbitration Act in 2001. It has not integrated the two statutes into one, as is the case in Hong Kong. Nor has Singapore (unlike Hong Kong) adopted the 2006 ML amendments – although a 2009 amendment to the International Arbitration Act does allow enforcement of (local and foreign-seated) arbitrators’ interim measures orders.

Singapore also still shows some deference to English case law in some respects, where the ML is unclear or has gaps. Notably, its courts maintain a complex multi-step approach to determine the law applicable to the arbitration agreement when the parties have not expressly agreed on this.[1]

Overall, partly because Singapore adopted the ML later than HK, case law was less internationalist in applying its international arbitration legislation. However, 2001 and 2002 the legislature promptly amended its Act following judgments addressing implied opting out of the ML regime from parties’ choice of Rules, which were unhelpful in promoting Singapore as a seat.[2] Singaporean judgments subsequently became arguably as internationalist as Hong Kong’s judgments. This pattern can be seen for example in substantial deference by Singaporean courts to the procedural decisions of arbitrators,[3] although they still intervene in egregious cases.[4]

The Singaporean government and judiciary promoted ADR from the 1980s primarily to address delays in civil litigation, focusing on mediation,[5] but it also encouraged establishment of SIAC in 1991. SIAC already then introduced its first set of standalone Arbitration Rules, with the most recent (7th) edition published in 2025 after extensive public consultation. However its caseload only grew slowly through to 2008, when it reached 99 cases filed, before jumping to 160 in 2009 and 198 in 2010:[6]

By 2019 there were 479 cases handled (87% international), including 25 cases (5% of [2] [3] [4] [5] the total) limited to making default appointments of arbitrators in otherwise ad hoc proceedings.[7] The latter arises through parties’ prior agreement to this restricted role for SIAC, eg by specifying it as the appointing authority but otherwise arbitrating under UNCITRAL Rules, or in purely ad hoc proceedings with no agreed Rules but with SIAC as default appointing authority under the 1994 Act. The 2019 Annual Report implies that from 2009, where the proportion of default appointments for ad hoc proceedings was 17.5% (28 out of 160 total cases handled), the proportion declined more or less consistently to 6.7% by 2018.

This decline continued from 2019 into the 2020s (excluding an anomaly in 2025), showing SIAC’s evolution into a full-service institutional arbitration provider and the broader global trend favouring institutional over ad hoc arbitration. Thus, in 2021 SIAC recorded handling 469 cases, with 5% being only default appointments.[8] Yet in 2025 SIAC handled 866 cases (89% international), but this included 149 default appointments (a remarkable 17% of the total) – so cases involving full administration by SIAC (under its Rules) comprised only 717 cases, both domestic and international.[9]

However, it seems that that 135 of the 149 default appointments were in “related cases”[10] (though counted separately), which likely explains this significant jump. Somewhat similarly, SIAC had declared a record 1080 cases for 2020, yet the numbers of all arbitrators appointed (almost all for cases under its own Rules) remained similar to 2019 – one commentator adds this suggested:[11] “a smaller number of arbitrations than appears on the face as SIAC allows arbitrations under associated contracts to be commenced in a single notice of arbitration (for the purpose of the case statistics these count as multiple cases)”.

Indeed, as mentioned above, the annual new cases handled by SIAC dropped down again to 469 in 2021 (similar to 2019), before resuming steady growth through to 866 cases in 2025 (although only 717 fully administered).

SIAC’s significant step up in cases filed over 2009-10 was likely assisted by a delayed impact from disputes arising from the 2007 Global Financial Crisis, since other international arbitration institutions (including HKIAC) also saw an increase around that time. But SIAC also benefited by the inauguration of Maxwell Chambers in 2010 (and greatly expanded in 2019, unveiled the day after the signing ceremony for the Singapore Mediation Convention). [1] The government contributed significantly to the refurbishment of this public property, with state-of-the-art hearing rooms and office space not only for smaller practitioners and SIAC but other arbitral organisations.

In addition, SIAC’s third edition Rules (2007) started shifting away from the UNCITRAL Rules core characterising the first (1991) and second (1997) editions.[2] This accelerated with the 2010 Rules (fourth edition), adding innovative Emergency Arbitrator and Expedited Arbitration procedures. Notably also from 2007, to encourage efficiency by arbitrators SIAC moved from the traditional LCIA (and still HKIAC) remuneration on an hourly rate, to fees based on dispute amount (as in the ICC).

The SIAC 2013 Rules (fifth edition) were also noteworthy by adopting a new structure for governance. It created the SIAC Court of Arbitration, modelled on the ICC Court and LCIA Court. The Court was to decide challenges to arbitrators and objections to SIAC’s prima facie jurisdiction, determine matters of arbitration policy, and oversee case administration and SIAC Secretariat work. The SIAC Board of Directors was refocused on business operations, marketing and development, and corporate governance. Dr Michael Pryles from Australia, appointed Chairman of the Board from 2009, became the founding President of the SIAC Court. That also comprised 16 leading arbitration practitioners from many jurisdictions,[3] mimicking the ICC Court’s multinational character to give SIAC credibility as a truly global institution. This was reinforced by appointing as President, from the USA, Gary Born from 2015 and Lucy Reed from 2021.


[1]See S Jayakumar, ‘Speech at the Grand Opening of Maxwell Chambers’ (Singapore, 21 January 2010) <https://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/20100806001.htm> accessed 27 July 2026 (mentioning PCA, ICC-ICA, WIPO AMC and ICSID committed as tenants); interview with Philip Jeyaretnam (Chairman, Maxwell Chambers), Asia Business Law Journal <https://law.asia/maxwell-chambers-arbitration-evolution/> accessed 27 July 2026 [Luke/Vivienne to add article title and date].

[2] See SIAC, ‘Administered Arbitration’ <https://siac.org.sg/administered-arbitration> and generally John Choong, Mark Mangan and Nicholas Lingard, A Guide to the SIAC Arbitration Rules (2nd edn, Oxford University Press 2018).

[3] Including Bahrain, Belgium, China, France, India, Japan, Singapore, UK and USA: Shaun Lee, ‘Changes at the SIAC: New Rules, New Structure, New Members’ (Singapore International Arbitration Blog, 2 April 2013) <https://singaporeinternationalarbitration.wordpress.com/2013/04/02/changes-at-the-siac-new-rules-new-structure-new-members/> accessed 27 July 2026.

Since the 2010 and 2013 SIAC Rules (from the 4th and 5th editions onward), draft awards are submitted to the Registrar (heading the Secretariat) who may suggest modifications as to the form, similarly to the ICC. Such developments helped SIAC to market itself also as a high-quality institution (with commensurate administration fees), to attract cases and bolster cross-border enforceability prospects. Singapore Courts provided assistance by upholding in 2010 an earlier arbitration agreement providing for ICC Rules arbitration administered by SIAC, indicating for example that the SIAC then Board could perform some of the ICC Court functions.[12]

The SIAC Rules 2016 (sixth edition) kept attracting attention through innovations such as a  procedure for early dismissal of claims manifestly without legal merit (adapted from ICSID Arbitration Rules), along with expanded provisions for multiple contracts, consolidation and joinder (reflecting the increasing complexity of arbitrations being filed – although such patterns are also found in HKIAC and other arbitral centres). The 2025 SIAC Rules expanded significantly in length, notably adding introducing ex parte emergency relief (protective preliminary orders) and a Streamlined Procedure for smaller claims than under the Expedited Procedure track).

SIAC also benefited from the growth of intra-Asian trade and investment, especially the rise of India, where it enjoyed a significant advantage over Hong Kong and China. The latter were only gazetted under Indian law for enforcement of their awards in 2012, whereas Singapore was in a first group of gazetted countries dating back to India’s Foreign Awards (Recognition and Enforcement) Act 1961.[13] Indian parties therefore began arbitrating extensively in Singapore, which marketed itself heavily in India – setting up two offices there from 2013.[14] However in recent years the proportion of Indian cases in SIAC has dropped (by numbers) relative to those involving China and Hong Kong.[15]

SIAC further introduced Investment Arbitration Rules in 2017. However, SIAC does not report any case applying them, despite having “administered investment disputes under standard SIAC Rules and … served as the appointing authority in investment disputes under the UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules”.[16] This is not too unexpected as the usual way nowadays for investment arbitration rules to apply in ISDS is through being provided as an option for foreign investors under investment treaties, sometimes dating back decades; and those currently overwhelmingly list ICSID and/or UNCITRAL Rules. SIAC’s Rules however can be marketed more now that Singaporean courts have developed significant experience in dealing with ISDS cases.[17]

The Singapore Chamber of Maritime Arbitration (SCMA) was established in 2004 under SIAC management. However, especially after feedback that the maritime community preferred a non-administered, ad hoc-style model rather than the fully administered institutional model that SIAC was increasingly adopting, SCMA —reconstituted in May 2009 as an independent organisation. It adopts a “light touch” self-administered model, deliberately modeled on the London Maritime Arbitrators Association (LMAA) rather than on administered institutions like the ICC or SIAC.

It has seen some significant growth, from over 100 cases during 2009-11 (combined with SIAC[18]), 43 just in SCMA in 2020, and 95 in 2024. Over 50% of parties involved in SCMA disputes are not Singapore-based. Singapore’s overall share of global maritime arbitration has grown from approximately 5% of London’s volume in 2022 to 9% in 2024. The recent surge has been attributed in part to the global trade war, which has generated increased shipping and trade disputes in the Asia-Pacific region.[19]


[1] Anupam Mittal v Westbridge Ventures II Investment Holdings [2023] SGCA 1. Along that line, see also Singapore International Dispute Resolution Academy (SIDRA), Review of the Singapore International Arbitration Act (November 2024) <https://sidra.smu.edu.sg/sites/sidra.smu.edu.sg/files/2025-03/Review%20of%20the%20Singapore%20International%20Arbitration%20Act%20(2024)_final.pdf> accessed 27 July 2026.

[2] Mohan Pillay, ‘The Singapore Arbitration Regime and the UNCITRAL Model Law’ (2004) 20(4) Arbitration International 355. By contrast, a revision to Australia’s International Arbitration Act came only in 2010, by preventing opting out altogether (s 21) to counteract similarly unhelpful case law.

[3] Luke Nottage, ‘Deference from National Courts to Tribunals on Issues of Procedure at the Post-Award Stage’ in Franco Ferrari and Friedrich Rosenfeld (eds), Deference in International Commercial Arbitration: The Shared System of Control in International Commercial Arbitration (Kluwer Law International 2023).

[4] Eg BZV v BZW [2022] SGCA 1 (setting aside a SIAC award found ‘manifestly incoherent’) and DJO v DJP[2024] SGHC(I) 24, upheld in DJP v DJO [2025] SGCA(I) 2(setting aside upheld on appeal, where a SIAC award was tainted by the tribunal – including former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra – self-plagiarising from an award rendered in India arising from the same project).

[5] Eugene Tan, ‘Harmony as Ideology, Culture, and Control: Alternative Dispute Resolution in Singapore’ (2007) 9(1) Australian Journal of Asian Law 120.

[6] SIAC, ‘CEO Annual Report 2010’ 3 (the first available via <https://siac.org.sg/annual-reports> accessed 27 July 2026). This and other early Annual Reports do not specify the proportions of international cases, but this may have been lower than the proportions that later started being annually reported (over 85%).

[7] SIAC, ‘Annual Report 2019’ 14–15 <https://siac.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SIAC-AR_FA-Final-Online-30-June-2020.pdf>.

[8] SIAC, ‘Annual Report 2021’ 17 <https://siac.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SIAC-AR2021-FinalFA.pdf>.

[9] SIAC, ‘Annual Report 2025’ 26–27 <https://siac.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/SIAC-Annual-Report-2025.pdf>. The Annual Report does not break down the proportion of international cases for this subset of 717 cases; it may be more or less than the 89% recorded for the total 866 cases.

[10] Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer, ‘SIAC Annual Report 2025: Key Statistics, Trends and Takeaways for International Arbitration’ (2026) <https://www.hsfkramer.com/notes/arbitration/2026-5/siac-annual-report-2025-key-statistics-trends-takeaways-for-international-arbitration> accessed 27 July 2026.

[11] Amanda Lees, ‘SIAC Statistics: Looking Behind the Large Increase in SIAC Caseload’ (Mallesons Pulse, 29 April 2021) <https://pulse.mallesons.com/international-arbitration/siac-statistics-looking-behind-the-large-increase-in-siac-caseload> accessed 27 July 2026 – adding as other possible explanations for this anomalous spike in 2020: ‘a large number of cases in which the tribunal is yet to be appointed due to delay by the parties in paying their deposits … and arbitrations being commenced for limitation or settlement purposes only and then stayed’.

[12] Eg Insigma Technology Co Ltd v Alstom Technology Ltd [2009] SGCA 24, [2009] 3 SLR(R) 936; see also Richard Hill, ‘Hybrid ICC/SIAC Arbitration Clause Upheld in Singapore’ (Kluwer Arbitration Blog, 10 June 2009) <https://legalblogs.wolterskluwer.com/arbitration-blog/hybrid-iccsiac-arbitration-clause-upheld-in-singapore/> accessed 27 July 2026.

[13] Michelle Bradfield and Daniel Harrison, ‘India to Recognise and Enforce Arbitral Awards from China’ (Lexology, 1 October 2012) https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=f817c2a2-6f53-4c62-afb0-22545a790fc8 accessed 27 July 202; Government of India, Ministry of Law and Justice, Notification SO 2252(E), Gazette of India, Extraordinary, pt II, s 3(ii) (23 September 2008); Ritin Rai, ‘India’ in International Chamber of Commerce, ICC Guide to National Procedures for Recognition and Enforcement of Awards under the New York Convention (2019) https://jusmundi.com/en/document/publication/en-india-9 accessed 27 July 2026.

[14] By 2013 (when 21% of SIAC’s caseload was still maritime/shipping), for 259 cases handled there were 85 Indian parties. SIAC, ‘Annual Report 2013’ 7 <https://siac.org.sg/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SIAC_Annual_Report_2013-1.pdf>.

[15] ibid; Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer (op cit).

[16] Aceris Law, ‘Singapore International Arbitration Centre FAQ’ 3 <https://www.acerislaw.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Singapore-International-Arbitration-Centre-FAQ.pdf>.

[17] See eg the Sanum v Laos dispute, discussed in Romesh Weeramantry and Uma Sharma, ‘Corruption and Investment Arbitration in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic: Corruptio Incognito’ in Teramura, Nottage and Jetin (n 1) 311 <https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-981-99-9303-1_12>.

[18] Maritime/shipping has consistently been a major SIAC dispute category and still represented 10% of its 2025 caseload (85 cases): SIAC, ‘Annual Report 2025’ (op cit) 32.

[19] Sarah Wong, “Global Trade Law Propels Singapore’s Surge as Maritime Arbitration Hub”  Asian Legal Business (25 November 2025) <https://www.legalbusinessonline.com/features/print-issue-global-trade-war-propels-singapore%E2%80%99s-surge-maritime-arbitration-hub> accessed 14 August 2026.


Corruption in Asia: A Fuller Account

Over 4-6 August 2026 Keio Law School A/Prof Nobumichi Teramura (co-editor of my 2024 Springer book on “Corruption and Illegality in Asian Investment Arbitration”) and I will present at the National University of Singapore the first draft of our solicited chapter on “Anti-Corruption Law in Asia” for a new book co-edited by NUS Prof Mindy Chen-Wishart, “Comparative Law of the Global Majority”.

As the introduction of our shortened version explains: “Corruption remains a large problem in almost all parts of Asia, evidenced for example by the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) of Transparency International (TI). Decades of national law reform, increasingly supported by various international organisations, run up against mixed legacies from diverse customary and religious values (such as guanxi), colonial history, often authoritarian politics, and economic realities (including strong business-state links still in many countries). Some dramatic successes are mostly due to consistent and unbiased political will, and well-resourced anti-corruption agencies and other independent institutions. This chapter gives a sense of the regional diversity, focusing mainly on countries with varying scale for population, socio-cultural contexts, political regimes, economies and legal traditions: Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, China, Indonesia and India (ranked from least to most corrupt by CPI).”

Here is a longer version (and we have an even longer draft, for middle sections!) and below are related Powerpoint slides:


International Arbitration in Asia – events on 23 August 2026

My hybrid presentations at Kwansei Gakuin University (Kwangaku Kaikan) SUNDAY 23 AUGUST, hosted by its Research Center for International Negotiation, Dispute Resolution and Policy (initially the day before the Japanese-US Law conference on ESG investing there but RESCHEDULED DUE TO TYPHOON) are as follows: 

Time:  2026, August 23rd 15:00 – 18:00 pm  (Online & Face-to-Face Hybrid)

Zoom:   Meeting ID: 880 9514 1359    Passcode: 1196801

Venue: Kwanseigakuin University Kangaku-Kaikan (Tsubasa-no-Ma)

A. Speech, 15:00~16:10: “Commercial Mediation, Arbitration and ISDS in Common Law versus Civil Law Asia: Two Steps Forward, One Step Back”
(Abstract) As a first regional trend, commercially-supplied mediation services have become popular only in some common law jurisdictions in Asia (Singapore and Hong Kong, influenced by England and Australia). They are not widely practiced yet in Malaysia or even India (despite delays in civil litigation), nor in civil law jurisdictions in Asia (where often a longer tradition of Court-annexed mediation). This backdrop creates problems for ratifications of the Singapore Mediation Convention. Secondly, international commercial arbitration is expanding regionally but most notably in Singapore and (less?) Hong Kong. Partly this is due to delays and especially costs in arbitration. Yet the practice of Arb-Med is diminishing. Thirdly, treaty-based Investor-State Dispute Settlement arbitration remains controversial in some parts of the Asia-Pacific region. Yet there is limited experimentation eg for Med-Arb (mandatory mediation before ISDS arbitration) or an EU-style investment court compromise. Overall, international commercial dispute resolution continues to grow but with significant intra-regional variations and other challenges. Powerpoints are here:

    B. Workshop: International Commercial Arbitration/Mediation Moot 16:15~18:00

    1.Arbitration Moot & How to study 16:1517:15

    (1) Presiding Arbitrator: Prof. Luke Nottage

    32nd Vis-Moot Procedural Problem, 1 Session (10 min/each+ Feedback10 Min.)

    (2) How to study

    By Prof. Susan-Gale Wintermuth (China-EU School of Law)

    2.Introduction & Mediation Moot 17:1518:00

      (1) Introduction: Prof. Takamori

    (2) Mock Mediation

    See also https://japaneselaw.sydney.edu.au/2024/02/the-vis-moot-in-japan-tips-and-tricks-for-participants/

    Comparing (especially US) ESG Policies and Investment: 28 June symposium in Japan

    As tenured Professor of Anglo-American Law at the University of Tokyo, cross-appointed with the University of Sydney Law School, I am happy to attend the 63rd annual Symposium of the Japanese-American Society for Legal Studies. This is a longstanding academic association for which my uTOkyo colleague sharing the same Chair – Prof Masayuki Tamaruya – is executive director, and led by Prof Futoshi Iwata (Kanagawa University) as the representative director. This year’s conference will be hosted on Sunday 28 June at Kwansei Gakuin University (established in 1889 with support from the South Methodist Episcopal Church in the US, plus the Canadian Methodist Church from 1910, now a highly-regarded non-denominational Christian private university). Registration and other details (in Japanese) can be found HERE, including abstracts of two presentations in English (by NYU Adjunct Prof Bruce Aronson on “ESG in the United States:  A Comparative Perspective”, then UC Berkeley Prof Adam Badawi on “Incentivizing ESG Performance or Greenwashing? Rewarding ESG in Executive Compensation”), and four in Japanese that (Claude and) I have translated as below along with an overview of the conference, which is focused on “Anti-ESG Policy in the United States and the Current State of ‘ESG Investing'”.

    I am very much interested in learning more about the latest ESG developments in the US, beyond the often breathless media reports, not least because my eldest daughter Moana Nottage is a senior analyst for ESG investments in an Australian fund manager. Some of my own joint research led by USyd Prof Jeanne Huang has been focused instead on how the EU has been trying (with emerging controversy) to impose its norms around ESG by mandating carbon intensity and other “responsible sourcing” data disclosures through “digital product passports” associated with (initially) EV batteries imported into the the EU. These requirements, extending up the supply chain to eg lithium mines in Australia and manufacturers and recyclers particularly in Asia, are supposed to apply from February 2027, as we critically analysed in a recent journal special issue article HERE. The requirements seem quite likely now to be delayed and/or pared back in scope due to criticisms from various stakeholders about this regime, and others that the EU has tried to impose on the corporate sector in recent years to save the planet – and its economic bloc, especially perhaps against China. Jeanne also led a UN White Paper project comparing also other ESG-related traceability regimes for critical raw materials, and more broadly still we have recently submitted a major grant application and a proposal for a pioneering book to a major legal publisher.

    “Anti-ESG Policy in the United States and the Current State of ‘ESG Investing'” (Outline of the conference, led by Aoyama Gakuin University Prof Yoichiro Hamabe)

    The purpose of this symposium is to examine the current situation surrounding anti-ESG policies in the United States and ESG investing, and to explore ways in which Japan and other countries can move forward in encouraging corporate behavioral change that takes ESG considerations into account.

    The attacks on ESG by the second Trump administration have had a significant global impact, and scrutiny of ESG investing has grown increasingly severe. Even within the legal field, debates surrounding corporate responses to ESG issues and ESG investing have become deeply complex.

    From the outset, legal discourse on ESG investing has developed primarily around disclosure regulation in securities markets; however, the merits of such regulation extend beyond policy debates at the legislative level, inevitably raising questions about consistency with the fundamental theory of corporate law. In other words, foundational questions — such as the purpose of the corporation and for whom the corporate institution exists — are once again being called into debate, prompted by the rise of ESG investing. Furthermore, against the backdrop of issues surrounding financial markets and supply chains, as well as growing geopolitical risks, the legal questions around ESG investing now extend far beyond securities law and corporate law into a wide range of policy domains.

    ESG investing in the United States had already been functioning poorly since the Biden administration, beset by a range of serious problems. Underlying this are structural and social factors inherent to the United States that make it difficult to advance ESG investing within the country’s basic institutional framework.

    In light of this, the symposium aims to contribute to future discussions on ESG investing by examining the key legal and policy issues surrounding ESG — including those in corporate law — with reference to the situation in the United States, where anti-ESG policy movements are particularly pronounced, and by asking each presenter to consider how companies should approach ESG-related challenges going forward.


    • “Why Did ESG Investing Fail in the United States?” Yoichiro Hamabe (Professor, Faculty of Law, Aoyama Gakuin University)

    Japan has looked to the ESG investment frameworks led by the EU and the United States as reference points; however, the tightening of disclosure regulation through hard law in the United States has not necessarily led to the resolution of ESG issues or to changes in corporate behavior. Indeed, it has itself become a cause of significant setbacks, and cracks are beginning to show in the EU’s own efforts as well.

    This presentation examines the concept of shareholder primacy, shareholders’ participatory rights at general meetings, the structure of executive compensation regulation, the pursuit of liability for breach of duty arising from inadequate responses to ESG issues, capital market discipline, administrative regulation, and geopolitical and social factors — drawing on selected Japan-US comparisons — in order to analyze the background and causes of the failure of ESG investing in the United States. Drawing on the lessons derived from this analysis, the presentation will consider strategies for advancing ESG through measures such as revisiting approaches grounded in soft law and principles-based regulation.


    • “Sustainable Investment and the Influence of Evangelicalism in the US” Hiroyuki Bandō (Professor, Faculty of Law, Nagoya Gakuin University)

    ESG initiatives in the United States have undergone repeated shifts with each change of administration. Since the first Trump administration, modifications to direction and policy — driven primarily by Republican administrations — have become increasingly pronounced across three main areas: (1) Department of Labor rules on ESG investing under ERISA (the Fiduciary Rule); (2) responses to the Paris Agreement; and (3) ESG disclosure by the SEC (covering both listed companies and investment managers).

    This presentation analyzes the influence of SEC disclosure rules on ESG investing, with reference to Evangelical doctrine — which has supported the Republican Party and has shaped foundational values such as the view that the purpose of the corporation lies in maximizing shareholder returns


    • “The Law and Politics of ‘ESG and Corporate Governance’ in the United States” Sōichirō Kozuka (Professor, Faculty of Law, Gakushuin University)

    Taking as its starting point the tendency in US corporate law to place excessive dogmatic emphasis on the principle of shareholder primacy, this presentation examines how the approach taken by pro-ESG corporate law scholars in the United States differs from debates on “ESG and corporate governance” in other regions such as Europe, and considers the characteristics of “anti-ESG” legislation that has been enacted in certain states against a backdrop of political polarization.

    • The Development of Japanese and US Debates on ESG and Directors’ Duties Gen Goto (Professor, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, University of Tokyo)

    Debates surrounding ESG and directors’ duties can be divided into two categories: those concerning whether directors are permitted to take ESG factors into account in relation to the principle of shareholder primacy, and those going further, concerning whether directors bear an affirmative duty to consider ESG factors. Drawing on this distinction, and focusing in particular on the question of how to respond to ESG-related risk disclosures, this presentation analyzes the development of debates on this issue in both Japan and the United States.


    ANJeL-in-Europe events 2-9 November 2026

    Professor Luke Nottage will give a series of lectures, partly coordinated kindly by ANJeL-in-Europe convenor Prof Giorgio Colombo (Ca’ Foscari, University of Venice) as follows, before supporting Team Australia students at the INC negotiation and arbitration moot competition in Tokyo over 12-17 November:

    1. 2 November, University of Frankfurt (hosted by Prof Moritz Baelz): “The Impact of EU Traceability Regulations for Asia’s EV Battery Manufacturers, Australia’s Critical Raw Materials Suppliers, Global Trade and Dispute Resolution”. This is based on a forthcoming book for Hart with Prof Jeanne Huang, and our article with this Abstract:
      • “The value chains for critical raw materials (CRM) used in electric vehicle (EV) batteries often involve mining in the Global South, Australia and Canada, production in Asia, and consumption in the Global North. Starting in 2027, EU law will require a ‘digital product passport’ (DPP) for market entry. These passports will provide EU consumers, investors, regulators and others with products and sustainability data throughout the entire value chain. The EU DPP aims to improve ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) compliance by ensuring high transparency and verifiable data from miners, producers and recyclers. However, legal, geopolitical, commercial and technological factors suggest that major economies in the up-and mid-stream of the value chains, such as Australia, China and Japan, may maintain or develop their own traceability laws, which might only partially overlap with the EU’s system. These laws could potentially be linked through mutual recognition agreements with the EU. Our paper explores how such a system could function, with varying degrees of decentralisation, inspired partly by private international law mechanisms that have evolved to handle cross-border traceability of documents. Examples include systems for recognising marriage and other personal or commercial certificates, arbitral awards and foreign judgments.”
    2. 4 November, University of Turino (hosted by Prof Michele Graziadei): “Consumer Law Redress and Administration, Product Safety Regulation and Contracts in Japan and Australia” (based on article with Prof Souichirou Kozuka and published also in Italian, updated including by reference my National Report on Australia with Prof Jeannie Paterson for the September 2026 Berlin IACL Congress session / book on “Contractual Justice”):
      • “This paper explores developments in consumer law and practice in Japan, as an important area that has not seen much comparative scholarship in Western languages despite significant developments over the last 10-20 years. The paper connects developments to broader debates about the nature of contemporary Japanese law and society, and mainly compares Australia although other jurisdictions are also discussed. The comparative analysis first explains the persistent problems for consumer redress. It then focuses on issues and reforms in consumer affairs administration, including the functions of reforming and enforcing consumer laws, the relationship with competition law concepts and regulators, and the relationship between consumer affairs regulators and other government agencies or stakeholders. The paper then examines developments in consumer product safety law and contracts, including new challenges from e-commerce and digital technologies, before drawing some conclusions.”
    3. 6 November, University of Venice (hosted by Prof Colombo): “The Identity of Japanese Law: A Journey with History, Orientalism and Technicalities”, based on our manuscript for Luca Siliquini Cinelli et al (eds) Research Handbook on the Philosophical Foundations of Comparative Law:
      • “Japanese law is one of the favourite playgrounds for comparative lawyers. This is partly due to historical reasons: the Japanese legal system is a product of the joint influence of Chinese imperial law (starting from the 7th century), continental European law (in the second half of the 19th century), and US law (after WWII). All these influences have been filtered by the local legal culture, and the resulting product is of unmistakable charm for any comparative law expert. However, the identity of Japanese law is still heatedly debated. Generations of scholars, both Japanese and foreign, have tried to demonstrate that Japanese law is completely unique or very similar to other European civil law systems; that the influence of the American system on Japan is of utmost importance or almost negligible; that laws are scrupulously observed or light-heartedly disregarded in favour of local customs and traditions. So what isthe identity of Japanese law? Building on the vast corpus of available comparative research, the authors intend to deal with the most common representations of the Japanese legal system to critically assess their merits and shortcomings.”
    4. 9 November, University of Milan (Statale) (hosted by Prof Diana Urania Galetta) “The Interface of Inquests with Consumer Law and Policy: The Takata Airbag Debacle in Australia and Beyond“, based on my UNSWLJ 2026 article, with this Abstract:
      • “Unsafe Takata airbags remain in circulation, in Australia and worldwide, despite almost two decades of recalls and recent initiatives to improve consumer product safety regulation generally (Parts 1-3). The NSW coronial Inquest over 2019-2021 into Australia’s first known fatality in 2017 uncovered how Honda Australia and regulators were partly asleep at the wheel regarding voluntary recalls (Part 4). The fatality triggered a belated compulsory recall and legislative reform to allow the Transport Department such powers, both introduced in 2018, and by the end of the Inquest the Department was taking a clear lead role in vehicle recalls. The Inquest findings and recommendations for avoiding future harms from Takata airbag and other recalls, only released in November 2021, flew largely under the radar in the media but influenced some regulatory practices and could have had an impact on private litigation (Part 5). Such inquests and analogues overseas, little discussed in the legal literature, deserve wider scrutiny (Part 6). They can help identify serious product related risks and responses, assisting compensation claims and regulatory learning, while avoiding future harms and providing an extra resource for consumer product safety law reforms.”

    Cross-appointment to UTokyo from April 2026

    From April 2026 I begin my first semester teaching (until July) at the University of Tokyo as the senior tenured Professor of Anglo-American Law, succeeding Professor Kichimoto Asaka (whom I met first as visiting professor to VUW in the mid-1990s) and working closely with Professor Masayuki Tamaruya in the same Chair (specialising in comparative trusts law). From 2027 onwards I plan to spend the autumn/winter semester teaching at UTokyo. The rest of each year I will continue teaching at the University of Sydney as Professor of Comparative and Transnational Business Law, including its offshore joint program in Japanese law. From that base I will remain a founding co-director of the Australian Network of Japanese Law (ANJeL).

    I am honoured, excited and a little nervous to be joining such fine scholars and students at a leading university for legal studies in Asia. I will initially give lectures and a related tutorial (zemi) to both LLB and postgraduate Law School (“JD”) students regarding Anglo-American law, including an introduction to the wider common law world particularly across the Asia-Pacific region. I will also offer a course on Dispute Resolution in Common Law Asia (including Australia-NZ, Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, India and even the micro-state of Brunei). These will be offered in English for at least my first two years at uTokyo, but with some discussion and course materials also in Japanese.

    I also look forward to continuing and expanding my comparative research in business law fields, especially international arbitration, foreign investment regulation, corporate governance, consumer and contract law. New writings over this year include (1) an article on ‘Evolving Antipodean, Asian and European Ambivalence Around ISDS Arbitration: A Compromise Way Forward?’, (2) a national report on Australia for the IACL Berlin Conference session then book on Contractual Justice (with UMelbourne’s professor Jeannie Paterson), (3) a chapter on Japanese law (with Ca’ Foscari UVenice professor Giorgio Colombo) for Elgar’s new Research Handbook on The Philosophical Foundations of Comparative Law (edited by associate professor Luca Siliquini Cinelli et al), (4) a chapter on corruption law and practice across Asia (with Keio Law School associate professor Nobumichi Teramura) in a book on World Comparative Law coordinated by Prof Mindy Chen-Wishart through NUS (where I will again be a visiting professor over January 2027, to teach Japanese Law), (5) an article with Nobu on applicable laws in international arbitration and their impact on choice of seat (including a focus on Australia), and (6) a chapter with Vivienne Bath on “International Commercial Arbitration and Mediation in Asia” in Julien Chaisse et al (eds) Oxford Handbook of International Trade Law in Asia.

    Best wishes for a Happy New Year of the Horse!

    Tribute to Richard Nottage CNZM: Guest Blog from Sir Maarten Wevers

    [Editor’s note: This is a speech kindly given by my late father‘s colleague Maarten Wevers, who also later became New Zealand’s Ambassador to Japan and a senior civil servant helping to build Asia-Pacific relationships, at a public funeral held at Old St Paul’s, Mulgrave Street, Wellington, on 5 November 2025. It draws on Maarten’s personal experience working with Richard and their other close colleagues, and a printout of Richard’s oral history that is being made publically available through the National Library.]

    Kia ora tatou katoa.  Good morning everyone. 

    Thank you, Luke, Andrea and Hunter, for inviting me to speak about Richard’s professional life.  I am humbled to be standing before you all today. 

    I am a former colleague of Richard’s.  He had an enormous influence on my own career at Foreign Affairs, and therefore on my family’s life.  Louise and I will always be indebted to him.

    Richard studied history and economics at the University of Canterbury.  This was made possible because, as the son of a returned serviceman, he applied, successfully, for a Charles Upham Scholarship.  Upham himself was at the interview. 

    Richard’s MA thesis was on Chinese and Japanese politics and drew heavily on the unread Tokyo War Crimes archive at Canterbury.   Before he finished studying, Richard was given an introduction to Frank Corner at the Department of External Affairs in Wellington, who encouraged him to keep in touch.  Richard joined the Department in late 1962, aged 23. 

    He started in the Property Division.  When he mentioned to Alister McIntosh, the departmental head, that he had been awarded a scholarship that would take him to Oxford, McIntosh told him ‘‘‘you have to take it up’ but you need to know more about the department before you go” – and promptly made Richard his executive assistant.   Richard has recounted how, over the next eight months, he saw every piece of paper that went across McIntosh’s desk, and thus, ended up with an invaluable understanding of the work of the Department. He also got to know many of the senior staff.  

    At Oxford, Richard was tutored by a renowned expert on Japan, Prof. Richard Storry.  He was quite overwhelmed at the experience, describing Oxford as stunning.  In 1965, armed with a shiny new post-graduate degree, he “went down the road” to the New Zealand High Commission in London, to start work.  Heather accompanied him, as they had been married in Oxford. 

    Richard’s first job was Commonwealth affairs.  In January 1966, he joined a four-person NZ Delegation attending a Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Lagos, on the Rhodesia issue. He was the “commonwealth expert”.  The experience of participating in such a key international conference was unforgettable. 

    Two further such Commonwealth meetings followed, both in London, one later in 1966 and the other in 1969.  Both delegations were led by Prime Minister Holyoake.  Richard was again fully involved, at close quarters.

    I mention this because Richard’s early years demonstrate how, as a very junior, new member of staff, he was closely involved with the leaders of New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry of the time.  He was also exposed to senior politicians, including the PM, and the issues they were having to deal with.  This all rubbed off on the young Mr Nottage. 

    In late 1969, Richard and Heather, and by now, Luke, as well, returned to Wellington where Richard had a stint in the former External Aid Division.  The role including trying to open doors for New Zealand engineering firms, in the main, so that they could participate in large infrastructure projects in Asia that were being funded by international development agencies.  

    Then, in 1971, completely unexpectedly, Richard was asked to go to Korea to open New Zealand’s first resident diplomatic mission.  He went as the number 2, because in those days, the Ambassador was still based in Tokyo.  This was a very steep learning curve – finding office space and residential accommodation, hiring local staff, getting to understand Korea, making the necessary connections.  And all without any Korean language.  Not an easy time. But it was Richard’s first posting in Asia, it was new and exciting, and made a deep impression.  The family, enlarged by now with the arrival of Andrea, returned home in early 1973. 

    In Wellington, Norman Kirk was the new Prime Minister, and his new Government, and the new Foreign Affairs Secretary, Frank Corner, wanted the Ministry to place more emphasis on national identity, and on better understanding our place in the world.   Richard was working in information and cultural affairs.  

    Just before Christmas, Frank Corner asked Richard to join Merv Norrish as one of just two Ministry officials who would accompany the Prime Minister on a three-week visit to Asia.   Travelling in an RNZAF Hercules, the first stop was Papua New Guinea where Mr Kirk met Michael Somare.  The PM then undertook official visits to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, India, and Bangladesh, meeting his counterparts in each place.   This was an unprecedented programme and a game-changer in re-setting New Zealand’s understanding of, and engagement, with Southeast Asia.

    In 1975, Corner said it would be good for Richard to broaden his experience, so he was sent to the New Zealand Embassy in Washington to cover the political and liaison roles. The family decamped once again, this time with Hunter in tow as well.   But living in the US proved to be a short-lived exercise.  Within a year, a cross-posting to Brussels as Deputy Head of Mission came up.  Unexpected, to say the least. 

    The role in Brussels gave Richard his first real engagement in trade policy work, and trade negotiations – particularly over access for New Zealand sheepmeat and apples into the EEC market. A tough gig in those days.  “Constant, effective persuasion” was what was required Richard said.   Brussels also provided Richard with his first exposure to the intricacies of the GATT.  He was assiduous in building up invaluable connections with the New Zealand producer Boards and trade official counterparts in Brussels and across Europe.

    After four years, the family was looking forward to returning home, but there was another change of plan – his first Head of Mission posting, to Jakarta.  Richard had three weeks to get there, because Prime Minister Muldoon was going to arrive on an official visit.  Heather and the children joined him three months later.  

    Richard was delighted to be in Indonesia, where New Zealand expertise was being deployed to develop geothermal resources, and there was growing economic and political confidence in the region following the conclusion of the Viet Nam war.   

    In 1982, Richard left Jakarta, because he was appointed Assistant Secretary of Economic and European Affairs in Head Office – which proved to be the ideal starting point for his next posting, in 1984, as Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, and Ambassador to the GATT.   This period covered the launch of the Uruguay Round of GATT negotiations, in 1986 – an intense period of economic diplomacy in which New Zealand was seeking major changes to the rules governing international trade.  Richard was a key member of the team supporting the energetic new Trade Minister, Mike Moore.  

    In 1987, Richard was thrilled to be appointed as Ambassador to Japan. As he said in his oral history ‘after 25 years, the dream comes true!”   Richard commented later that he had expected to be there for four years, “that it would be a marvelous place, and that the Ministry could forget about me and just let me get on with it”.  Not to be.  Only a year or so after presenting his credentials to the Emperor, he was encouraged by Merv Norrish, now Secretary, to apply for the role of Deputy Secretary, Economic and Trade Relations.  He duly did so, taking up this critical appointment early in 1988.   Returning home from Tokyo early would have meant mixed emotions I’m sure. 

    This was the time of the Lange government.  As part of their reform programme, a new Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade had just been created, bringing together parts of the former Department of Trade and Industry with Foreign Affairs.  The Trade Minister, Mike Moore, was ambitious for the new agency, and drove things at a fast clip. 

    In 1986, New Zealand became a founding member of the Cairns Group of Agricultural Free Traders – an initiative launched by the Australians.  Mike Moore and Richard participated in the first meeting.  The work of the Cairns Group, and the Uruguay Round, were critical priorities in the new Ministry’s work, at home and abroad. 


    Then in 1989, a group of Ministers of Trade and Foreign affairs from the Asia Pacific region came together in Canberra to advance the growing economic interdependence of East Asia and the Pacific.   The discussions were held against a backdrop of difficulties within the GATT negotiations.  This gathering was the first meeting of APEC, which has since become the pre-eminent high-level forum of our region, meeting annually.  Richard Nottage was there at the birth of APEC as well and travelled to Seattle four years later with Prime Minister Jim Bolger for the very first APEC Leaders’ Meeting.

    In 1991, Richard was appointed Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He served for eight years. He succeeded to the job that McIntosh, Corner, and Norrish had held before him.  Richard was the right person for the job at that time. 

    Richard’s term as Chief Executive was marked by close and productive working relationships with Ministers – led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Rt. Hon. Sir Don McKinnon.  Sir Don would very much have liked to have been here today and has asked me to pass on his condolences and respect to you, Luke and Hisae, Andrea and Roy, and Hunter and Sara, and your families.  

    He remembers Richard as a positive leader of the Ministry, “who had the ball at his toe” for the time he was in office, largely because of his previous service in Geneva, Tokyo and Jakarta.  He understood Asia, and international trade.  Both topics were critically important for New Zealand at the time.  As Sir Don said, “as a country, we needed to do much better.  We were very far behind where we should have been in terms of political and economic relations with Asia”. Ministers were of the view that the newish Ministry, under Richard’s leadership, had a big part to play in addressing this state of affairs.  Richard understood that.

    The former Minister of Trade, The Hon. Philip Burdon, recalls clearly that Richard was a strong advocate of the need for New Zealand to become more engaged in our region.  “Richard was deeply conscious of the emerging authority of Asia, and its significance for us” he said.  Mr Burdon observed that Richard reorganized the Ministry to give greater effect to its wider trade and economic mandate, to make it more relevant to the real needs of New Zealanders and better connected to the aspirations of the business and exporting communities. That was long overdue.   Mr Burdon especially welcomed Richard’s inclusive approach to Asia, including within New Zealand.

    Both Ministers said that Richard had a knack for surrounding himself with smart people, at home and in missions abroad, who he backed to do their job.   He was a good delegator, a generous mentor, and managed with a light touch. 

    As a former colleague put it – “If he trusted you, he trusted you completely, and gave you the rope you needed”. 

    Others have remarked on his acute understanding of issues, his knowledge of those on the other side of the table, and their concerns, and his ability to analyse a situation and map a way forward.    He was happy to receive competing advice, and be challenged, and was open to new ideas.   Another colleague remembered that he always behaved as a professional public servant, with a sense of clarity and purpose.  And he was empathetic.

    As the leader of the Ministry, Richard was respected and liked by his fellow Chief Executives in Wellington, who viewed him as constructive and collaborative.  He had a wide network of relationships with Ministers and officials, and former colleagues, overseas.   He was also a strong advocate for the Ministry and its purpose, at a time of pressure on the public purse.

    During Richard’s term, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade brought stronger trade and international linkages to the heart of government policy decision making. The agency also broadened its connections to domestic constituents and diversified its staff profile and recruitment processes.  It strengthened links with te ao Maori, and made important steps to lift engagement with iwi organisations, as the Treaty settlement process became established.

    One of Richard’s most valuable contributions was undoubtedly in support of the then Government’s efforts to lift community engagement with and understanding of Asia, within New Zealand, through the establishment of the Asia2000 Foundation, now the Asia New Zealand Foundation.  It has been commented that, in both the external and internal environments, Richard spearheaded and talked up engagement with Asia. 

    Richard’s legacy can be seen as well in how much broader and stronger our international trading networks have become.  In 1991, we had only one free trade arrangement, with Australia, the CER Agreement.  Now, more than 80% of our trade is governed by such mechanisms. Although many of the more recent deals were concluded after Richard retired, he led the team when this direction of travel became embedded.  

    Perhaps the convening of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting in Auckland in September 1999, held just after Richard stepped down, is the best symbol of how much things had changed over his career.  The Leaders of the countries that are most important for New Zealand’s future all came together, in our place, for the first time ever, and committed to work together for a better, common future.  He was just thrilled.

    Looking back, I can’t help but reflect that it was actually that Charles Upham scholarship, offered to a boy who didn’t see his father for the duration of the Second World War, that turned out to be the key that opened the door to Richard’s incredible successes. What an amazing gift from one of New Zealand’s greatest heroes.

    I want to conclude by recording that Richard was always a grounded, relatable, and positive person.  He had a wit and humour about him, was always a natty dresser, and with his beloved Heather, seemed always to be enjoying the fullness of what was a very rich life.   They were an amazing couple, and it is so sad that we have had to say goodbye to both of them within this year.  

    It has been a hard year for everyone in the family, especially for the three children, and their partners, and the wonderful grandchildren.   Richard and Heather were always so proud of you.

    I hope that you are comforted by the knowledge that so many of the people who worked with or knew Richard in in those energetic, bygone years are mourning with you as well.

    Thank you.

    Two Japanese/Asian Law conferences supported by ANJeL (November 2025)

    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 programhttps://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].

    Asian International Investment Agreements (IIAs) and Arbitration

    Two of my recent articles in this area are now freely available in Open Access. The first below develops with Nobumichi Teramura an empirical argument comparing corruption-related provisions in IIAs across Asian states, including Japan as a very interesting case, building on our co-edited 2024 book. The other looks at wider regional developments around dispute resolution mechanisms in such agreements, including more focus on Australia. Both states have an opportunity to show regional and indeed global leadership for such mechanisms.

    1. Nobumichi Teramura, Luke Nottage, Corruption-related provisions in East and South Asian investment agreements: an empirical analysis, Journal of International Economic Law, 2025; jgaf013, https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/jgaf013

    This article analyses two types of provisions relevant to corruption in Asian international investment agreements (IIAs): clauses requiring (host) states to enforce anti-corruption laws and clauses that protect foreign investments made in accordance with host state laws. It tests whether IIA drafters act rationally regarding such clauses, or instead show status quo or other biases. This is complex first because rational strategies should depend on whether the state is a net exporter of foreign direct investment (FDI) or a net importer, but we explain how determining this status may be difficult. Secondly, rational strategies should depend on the relative extent of corruption in each state and, somewhat relatedly, the extent of inbound FDI claims. Despite such complexities and some instances of more ‘bounded’ rationality, overall states seem to be drafting both types of clauses rationally—even, and indeed especially, the net-FDI-importing states that tend to be transitioning economies. Adding to that empirical result from a more normative perspective, the article helps identify factors that could or should be considered by future IIA drafters, international bodies, or others tracking the trajectories of IIAs and corruption in Asia and beyond.

    2. Luke Nottage, Australia’s Ambivalence Again Around Investor-State Arbitration: Comparisons with Europe and Implications for Asia, ICSID Review – Foreign Investment Law Journal, Volume 39, Issue 2, Spring 2024, Pages 320–346, https://doi.org/10.1093/icsidreview/siae029

    In late 2022 Australia’s new Labor government declared that it would no longer agree to investor-State dispute settlement (ISDS) in future international investment agreements (IIAs). Section I reviews its previous anti-ISDS stance (governing with the Greens over 2011 to 2013) inspired by more articulated policy rationales but also the first claim against Australia, over tobacco plain packaging legislation. Then followed the centre-right coalition government’s return to including ISDS on a case-by-case assessment (2014–21) drawing partly on different arguments and evidence. Section II suggests that a new factor behind the latest policy shift comprises a second set of significant ISDS arbitration claims against Australia, from the Singaporean subsidiary of an Australian mining magnate and right-wing political leader. Section III draws parallels with the European Union (EU), whose developed economy member States reacted to inbound ISDS claims by replacing traditional ISDS from 2015 with an ‘investment court’ hybrid process, then influencing multilateral ISDS reform negotiations. Intra-EU ISDS claims are also being precluded by the Court of Justice of the EU, but in the context of European law and institutions providing an alternative pathway for European investors to hold other member States to account. Section IV considers the implications of Australia’s anti-ISDS stance for ongoing and potential IIA (re)negotiations with the EU and Asian States, including the feasibility of moving towards an EU-style investment court approach in Asia-Pacific IIAs. Section V concludes by linking these developments to ongoing debates about reforms to ISDS—locally, regionally and globally—as well as about incomplete investment IIAs.

    “The Promises and Pitfalls of International Commercial Arbitration”

    [This the abstract for my judicial training lecture organised by the Legal Training and Research Institute, kindly invited by the Supreme Court of Japan, delivered on 5 March 2025 at the Tokyo Facilities for Arbitration Hearings. Powerpoints are available in English and translated into Japanese. An edited, updated and footnoted version of the transcript is forthcoming in the Japan Commercial Arbitration Journal (2025).]

    Survey and other evidence typically identify many advantages of international commercial arbitration (ICA) over cross-border litigation. This explains why ICA is overwhelmingly the most preferred dispute resolution mechanism included in international commercial contracts (and even investment treaties). Yet ICA faces growing problems.

    Enforceability of arbitration agreements and awards is challenged by new Hague Conventions for enforcement of judgments, and by the 2018 Singapore Convention for enforcing mediated settlements, although these instruments still have few ratifications. Neutrality and related expertise of arbitrators encounter rising challenges to arbitrators and the emergence of international commercial courts, notably in Singapore. Confidentiality in arbitration is not uniform and anyway can increase unpredictability, as well as making it harder for users to assess if arbitrators and lawyers provide good value for their services. Limited discovery of documentary evidence and other flexibility in arbitration procedures is offset by the proliferation and hardening of “soft law” instruments and standardised practices. The lack of appeal for error of law promises finality in awards but arbitration overall is not much quicker, cheaper or more amicable than litigation of commercial disputes.

    This lecture elaborates such promises and pitfalls of ICA nowadays. It considers what could be done to improve the environment for ICA generally, enhancing traditional advantages while reducing costs and delays, in the context of countries like Australia and Japan that have struggled to attract ICA cases.

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