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Full-Text Articles in Law
Reconstituting Japanese Law: International Norms And Domestic Litigation, Timothy Webster
Reconstituting Japanese Law: International Norms And Domestic Litigation, Timothy Webster
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Essay proceeds in four parts. Part I situates these lawsuits in the context of Japan's growing ethnic diversity. Part II analyzes a decade of racial discrimination lawsuits in Japan, ultimately synthesizing the elements of a compensable act of racial discrimination under current Japanese law. Part III begins with a brief examination of the role of international law in Japan before turning to discussions between the Japanese government and U.N. bodies regarding the proper treatment of foreigners in Japan and the desirability of anti-discrimination laws. Part IV then discusses several failed attempts by national and local lawmakers to pass anti-discrimination …
Criminal Conspiracy Law In Japan, Chris Coulson
Criminal Conspiracy Law In Japan, Chris Coulson
Michigan Journal of International Law
Part II of this Note describes CATOC's group criminality requirement. Part III outlines the provisions of several versions of Japan's conspiracy bill and compares these provisions to common-law conspiracy. Part IV analyzes Japan's conspiracy law by examining both substantive and procedural laws in Japan related to criminal conspiracy, as well as criticism within Japan of the conspiracy bills.
Global Markets And The Evolution Of Law In China And Japan, Takao Tanase
Global Markets And The Evolution Of Law In China And Japan, Takao Tanase
Michigan Journal of International Law
The first angle of this Article concerns the exclusivity of rights, which is the notion that a right has an exclusive boundary of ownership. The socialist system and traditional customary law in China gave only weak recognition to this concept, especially prior to China's move toward a market economy and the introduction of modern law. The second angle addresses the functionality of extralegal norms. Law reforms tend to be measured by the efficiency gains they produce, a process intensified by competition among systems. The third angle involves the ideological nature of the market-oriented development of law. The foreign enterprises and …
What's Your Sign? -- International Norms, Signals, And Compliance, Charles K. Whitehead
What's Your Sign? -- International Norms, Signals, And Compliance, Charles K. Whitehead
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Article proposes a new approach to understanding state compliance with international obligations, positing that increased interaction among the world's regulators has reinforced network norms, as evidenced in part by a greater reliance among states on legally nonbinding instruments. This Article also begins to fill a gap in the growing scholarship on state compliance by proposing a better framework for understanding how international norms influence senior regulators and how they affect both state decisions to comply as well as levels of compliance.
How Does Culture Count In Legal Change?: A Review With A Proposal From A Social Movement Perspective, Setsuo Miyazawa
How Does Culture Count In Legal Change?: A Review With A Proposal From A Social Movement Perspective, Setsuo Miyazawa
Michigan Journal of International Law
We have in this volume four articles on legal change in China and Japan written by four distinguished authors. These articles vary with regard to subject state, specificity of issues, and breadth of analytical scope. They commonly discuss one factor, however: culture. The purpose of this Comment is to examine the way each article uses culture in its explanations of legal change. The Comment concludes with a brief suggestion, from a social movement perspective, on employing culture as an explanatory tool in a non-essentialist way.
The Culture Of Legal Change: A Case Study Of Tobacco Control In Twenty-First Century Japan, Eric A. Feldman
The Culture Of Legal Change: A Case Study Of Tobacco Control In Twenty-First Century Japan, Eric A. Feldman
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Article argues that the interaction of international norms and local culture is a central factor in the creation and transformation of legal rules. Like Alan Watson's influential theory of legal transplants, it emphasizes that legal change is frequently a consequence of learning from other jurisdictions. And like those who have argued that rational, self-interested lawmakers responding to incentives such as reelection are the engine of legal change, this Article treats incentives as critical motivators of human behavior. But in place of the cutting-and-pasting of black-letter legal doctrine it highlights the cross-border flow of social norms, and rather than material …
The Next Generation: Milhaupt And West On Japanese Economic Law, Kent Anderson
The Next Generation: Milhaupt And West On Japanese Economic Law, Kent Anderson
Michigan Journal of International Law
Review of Economic Organizations and Corporate Governance in Japan: The Impact of Formal and Informal Rules by Curtis Milhaupt & Mark West
Law And Culture In China And Japan: A Framework For Analysis, John O. Haley
Law And Culture In China And Japan: A Framework For Analysis, John O. Haley
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Comment is divided into two parts. The first sets forth a series of definitional propositions intended for a more general analysis of the interrelationships of law and culture. The second comprises an introduction to the evolution of legal institutions that enables us to understand better the reception and development of Western legal institutions in East Asia and provides context for the four articles and their individual and collective insights.
Signaling Conformity: Changing Norms In Japan And China, David Nelken
Signaling Conformity: Changing Norms In Japan And China, David Nelken
Michigan Journal of International Law
Whatever their differences, the articles in this issue also have much in common in addition to their regional focus. The author of this Comment shall discuss in turn three (related) theoretical issues that arise, to a greater or lesser degree, in all four contributions. The first Part of this Comment considers the insights of these articles on the need to move from discussing transplants to focusing on transnational legal processes. The second Part examines what the contributions tell us about culture, legal culture, and the so-called "norm of conformity." I shall concentrate in particular on the cultural sources of choices …
Law, Norms, And Legal Change: Global And Local In China And Japan, Nicholas C. Howson, Mark D. West
Law, Norms, And Legal Change: Global And Local In China And Japan, Nicholas C. Howson, Mark D. West
Michigan Journal of International Law
The editors of the Michigan Journal of International Law have boldly brought together four articles and commentary that focus on different aspects of the same problem in China and Japan: the relationship between domestic legal change and foreign and/or "international" law and regulation, "soft" agreements, norms, or even cultural practices. The compilation is bold in part because scholarship on change in East Asian law and legal systems often suffers from one of two defects. First, it often focuses on purely domestic phenomena in only one system, ignoring the comparative connections. Second, scholars often attack the problem from an exclusively comparative …
The Law And Culture Of The Apology In Korean Dispute Settlement (With Japan And The United States In Mind), Ilhyung Lee
The Law And Culture Of The Apology In Korean Dispute Settlement (With Japan And The United States In Mind), Ilhyung Lee
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Article addresses the apology in civil dispute settlement in Korea, Japan's neighbor across the East Sea, using the U.S.-Japan comparative discussion as a helpful frame of reference. Part I provides the necessary background on the meaning of the apology and the leading commentary along the U.S.-Japan axis, beginning with the work of Wagatsuma and Rosett. Culture appears in this discussion in two regards. First, a question arises as to whether the very meaning of the apology as noted in the commentary reflects the U.S. cultural orientation, or instead has universal application. Second, some argue that cultural norms explain the …
Article 9 Of The Constitution Of Japan And The Use Of Procedural And Substantive Heuristics For Consensus, Mark A. Chinen
Article 9 Of The Constitution Of Japan And The Use Of Procedural And Substantive Heuristics For Consensus, Mark A. Chinen
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Article’s purpose is to examine the revision debates through the lens of recent scholarship on constitutional decisionmaking to see what lessons might be drawn about constitutionalism in Japan and elsewhere. In Part I, the author discusses Article 9's text and interpretation and focus on three controversies: first, Japan's ability to use force to defend itself and the related issue of the constitutionality of the Japan Self Defense Force (SDF); second, Japan's ability to engage in collective self-defense, which impacts the state's security relationship with the United States under the U.S.-Japan Mutual Security Agreement; and finally, Japan's ability to participate …
Educating Lawyers For The Global Economy, John O. Haley
Educating Lawyers For The Global Economy, John O. Haley
Michigan Journal of International Law
Review of Law and Investment in Japan: Cases and Materials (Yukio Yanagida, Daniel H. Foote, Edward S. Johnson, Jr., J. Mark Ramseyer & Hugh T. Scogin, Jr. eds.)
Laws Separating Commercial Banking And Securities Activities As An Impediment To Free Trade In Financial Services: A Comparative Study Of Competitiveness In The International Market For Financial Services, Sarah A. Wagman
Michigan Journal of International Law
By comparing U.S., Japanese, and European institutions' competitiveness in the international market for financial services, this Note focuses on the possible implications of the Glass-Steagall Act in the international trade context as a means of exploring some of the additional arguments which have emerged in favor of reforming U.S. bank regulation.
Reporting The Truth And Setting The Record Straight: An Analysis Of U.S. And Japanese Libel Laws, Ellen M. Smith
Reporting The Truth And Setting The Record Straight: An Analysis Of U.S. And Japanese Libel Laws, Ellen M. Smith
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Note argues that U.S. courts and lawmakers should adopt some aspects of Japanese libel law. Part I compares the balances struck in U.S. and Japanese libel law between promoting press freedoms and protecting individual interests. Part II focuses on the extent to which each system succeeds in addressing the objectives of encouraging aggressive, accurate reporting, and compensating libel victims. Finally, Part III proposes a new U.S. libel standard that would adopt, with some modifications, key elements of Japanese libel law without running afoul of established U.S. constitutional requirements.
Unwelcome Imports: Racism, Sexism, And Foreign Investment, William H. Lash Iii
Unwelcome Imports: Racism, Sexism, And Foreign Investment, William H. Lash Iii
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article will address the problems minorities and women face from Japanese foreign direct investment. This article focuses on Japanese direct investment because the rapid rise in Japan's direct investment in the United States, combined with a record of discrimination by Japanese firms in Japan and abroad, makes Japanese investment the best example of the problems addressed in this article. However, the discriminatory attitudes described here may well be held by other foreign investors, and therefore, the legislation proposed later in this article addresses a broader problem.
The Development Of The Equal Treatment Principle In The International Debt Crisis, Carsten Thomas Ebenroth, Rüdiger Woggon
The Development Of The Equal Treatment Principle In The International Debt Crisis, Carsten Thomas Ebenroth, Rüdiger Woggon
Michigan Journal of International Law
Since the outbreak of the international debt crisis at the beginning of the 1980s, debtor countries have reached a series of agreements with private creditor banks, with the aim of reducing the financial strain on the debtor countries and enabling them to service their debts. Long-term extensions of maturities are a central aspect of many of these arrangements. Included in the restructurings are all the medium- and long-term claims of the creditor banks, often short-term trade credits and interbank lines, and, in individual cases such as the restructuring of the debts of Poland, Yugoslavia, Costa Rica, and some African States, …
Civil Procedure Reform In Japan, Takeshi Kojima
Civil Procedure Reform In Japan, Takeshi Kojima
Michigan Journal of International Law
Delay in court has been a problem common in all eras, both ancient and modern, and to all systems of law, Western and Eastern alike. In Japan, however, the problem is arguably more acute. The average delay between filing and judgment for cases that require at least a minimum level of proof-taking or an evidentiary hearing is 27 months. This deplorable reality has recently led to renewed efforts to tackle the problem of delay in Japan. Two groups that have been particularly important in this effort are two local bar associations and the Tokyo and Osaka district courts. The First …
Comparison: Japanese And American Plant Closing Laws, Allison Zousmer
Comparison: Japanese And American Plant Closing Laws, Allison Zousmer
Michigan Journal of International Law
This Note analyzes the American and Japanese approaches to plant closings and discusses to what extent the American government can apply the successful Japanese approach to its own labor relations system. The first part examines the specific provisions of the two nations' laws. Second, it illustrates how the divergent social rules and historical backgrounds influence the operation of the plant closing laws in both nations. Part three explores the impact and applicability of Japanese labor policies to American industrial practices. The Note concludes that although the Japanese provide a general model for a labor management system which combines cooperation and …
The Regulation Of Insider Trading In The United States, United Kingdom, And Japan, Barbara Ann Banoff
The Regulation Of Insider Trading In The United States, United Kingdom, And Japan, Barbara Ann Banoff
Michigan Journal of International Law
Part I of this article will briefly discuss the American laws regulating insider trading; Part II will discuss the law of the United Kingdom; and Part III will discuss the regulation-or, more accurately, the non-regulation-of insider trading in Japan.
Comparison Of Japanese And American Bankruptcy Law, Brooke Schumm Iii
Comparison Of Japanese And American Bankruptcy Law, Brooke Schumm Iii
Michigan Journal of International Law
The outline and direction of this article are arranged approximately in the order of provisions under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code. The article focuses on Japanese reorganization proceedings, but necessarily discusses Japanese bankruptcy provisions at length. First, eligibility and types of proceedings are discussed. Second, commencement details and administrative provisions, including the "automatic stay" and assumption and rejection of leases and contracts are presented. Third, the debtor's duties and the handling of claims are reviewed. Fourth, liquidations are compared. Fifth, confirmation and reorganization are explored in detail. Last, a comparison of bankruptcy provisions for individuals concludes the article.
The Limitations On The Protection Of Program Works Under Japanese Copyright Law, Dennis S. Karjala
The Limitations On The Protection Of Program Works Under Japanese Copyright Law, Dennis S. Karjala
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article examines these problems in the light of the program language, rule, and algorithm limitations on program protection under the Japanese Copyright Act. Section II sets forth the relevant statutory language, and Sections III and IV apply the program language and rule limitations to operating systems software and microcode. Section V considers the scope of protection under Japanese law in applications programs under the algorithm limitation on program protection. Finally, Section VI takes up the problem of whether copying for purposes of reverse engineering can be justified under the Act.
Computer Technology And Copyright- A Review Of Legislative And Judicial Developments In Japan, Teruo Doi
Computer Technology And Copyright- A Review Of Legislative And Judicial Developments In Japan, Teruo Doi
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article discusses and evaluates the legislative and judicial developments after the enactment of the Copyright Law which apply to computer programs and other computer-related technology. It examines: (1) the 1985 amendment to the Copyright Law enacted to protect computer programs, including the history of discussions by government agencies and judicial determinations that led to the amendment; (2) the 1986 Program Registration Law which supplements the existing provisions of the Copyright Law concerning registration; (3) the protection of databases under a new amendment to the Copyright Law; (4) the regulation of software rental business by the establishment of a public …
Japanese-Style Worker Participation And United States Labor Law, William S. Rutchow
Japanese-Style Worker Participation And United States Labor Law, William S. Rutchow
Michigan Journal of International Law
This note will evaluate the current legal status of Japanese-style worker participation programs under the NLRA. First, it analyzes relevant sections of the NLRA and their interpretation by the Board and the courts. Second, the note describes various types of Japanese worker participation programs, and suggests how these programs can be legally implemented under current American labor law. Third, the note considers standards the Supreme Court may adopt to test the legality of worker participation programs in the future. Finally, this note recommends that the Supreme Court uphold those participation programs which are freely chosen by employees.
Whither The Future Of Japanese Industrial Development Policies?, Merit E. Janow
Whither The Future Of Japanese Industrial Development Policies?, Merit E. Janow
Michigan Journal of International Law
This article describes past and present Japanese industrial policies. After discussing the evolution of Japanese industrial policies generally, it addresses the specific instruments of those policies including those intended to assist declining industries as well as those intended to promote the development of new industries. Finally, this article suggests that government guidance of Japan's industrial sector has decreased and is likely to decrease further still in the future.
The Role Of The Federal Government In Worker Adjustment Assistance, Linda Elliott
The Role Of The Federal Government In Worker Adjustment Assistance, Linda Elliott
Michigan Journal of International Law
Part I of this note examines worker adjustment assistance in the United States. It traces TAA's evolution from its inception as a means of compensating trade-displaced workers while minimizing government intervention in the market adjustment process, through its amendment to reflect congressional concern over the low number of worker certifications, to the criticism of its procedures arising out of more recent congressional interest in government-sponsored retraining as a means of attaining worker adjustment. After arguing that current certification and distribution procedures continue to reflect the original goal of the program- compensation with minimal intervention in the market- the note examines …
Antidumping Law In Japan, Gary Saxonhouse
Antidumping Law In Japan, Gary Saxonhouse
Michigan Journal of International Law
The Japanese antidumping law neither works nor is it practiced. Until very recently, it has been a case of managed economy, with extensive government-business interaction obviating the need to use antidumping laws. While some legislation has been on the books, there's never been an action filed under the available legal framework for antidumping actions.