Japanese American Society for Legal Studies (Nichibei Ho Gakukai) was originally
established in 1964 both in the United States and in Japan as a bi-national
academic society by American and Japanese legal scholars and practitioners who
were interested in comparative studies of Japanese law and American law. Its
establishment followed the publication of Law in Japan: The Legal Order
in a Changing Society (1963) edited by Professor Arthur Taylor von Mehren
of Harvard Law School. Based on the foundation of this classic work, the Society
has assumed the mission to further the mutual understanding, and seek the development,
of Japanese and American law and legal scholarship, especially through cooperation
of members of the legal profession. Founding co-representative directors were
Professor David F. Cavers of Harvard Law School and Professor Sanji Suenobu
of the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law.
American Branch had issued its annual periodical, Law in Japan: An Annual,
until it completed its mission after publishing volume 27 and dissolved in 2002.
Japan Branch continues to issue its semi-annual periodical, Amerika Ho.
It holds a one-day annual meeting in every June, and the program includes a
symposium by American and Japanese panelists on recent development in various
fields of American law. And it also holds workshops on recent cases in American
courts in every December. In addition, such special events as lectures by American
scholars, lawyers, and judges are irregularly held.
The Society consists of about 600 members. Characteristically those members
include about 100 law practitioners in addition to legal scholars, and they
are actively participating in the Society's activity as directors, councilors,
and editors of the periodical.
Current representative director is ProfessorAtsushi Kinami of Kyoto University
Faculty of Law.
Office: c/o The University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku,
Tokyo 113-0033 Japan
Executive Director: Professor Kichimoto Asaka of the University of Tokyo Faculty
of Law (e-mail: kichi@j.u-tokyo.ac.jp)