Reference and Research

If you have any questions on the Japanese law collection, please feel free to contact Keiko Okuhara at keikooku@hwaii.edu or 808-956-9953

About Our Japanese Legal Collection
The William S. Richardson School of Law Library began its Japanese law collection in recognition of the importance of the Pacific Rim to Hawaii and to support research in Japanese law. The Law School maintains strong ties with Japanese legal scholars and academic institutions and this connection has also led to the Library collecting important Japan related legal materials.

In 1998, the collection received a significant gift from Dr. Kaoru Kashiwagi and his wife Mrs. Michiko Kashiwagi, as an endowment to support research on Japanese law. The collection also received a substantial donation of books given by the Kyoto Bar Association in 2002. The library has continued to add important resources in print and electronic formats to the collection on a wide range of subjects related to Japanese law in both English and Japanese.

The Japanese law collection covers research materials on virtually any Japanese legal subject. The collection has 592 treatises and 41 serials as of November 2005, and the Japanese language collection consists of 332 treatises, 32 serials, and 1 CD-ROM. The following resource list gives an overview of our Japanese law collection:

Japanese Legal Research Websites:

Japanese Legal Research Manual Comprehensive introduction to Japanese legal research, written by the Nagoya University Center for Asian Legal Exchange.

LLRX: Japanese Law on the Internet (Last updated February 12, 2002)
Japanese Legal Research Guide written by Dr. Makato Ibusuki, Professor of Law, Department of Law and Policy, Kagoshima University, Japan

Kyoto Comparative Law Center, Legal Information System (English website)
Japanese commercial and comparative law resources and links. Some resources only available in Japanese language. Website is also available in Japanese.

Stanford University - Guide to Japan Information Resources
Provides links to information about Japan. Includes "Law & Regulation" links to Japanese legal sources.

Temple University - Japan Law Program
Japanese legal resource links, including some case law arranged by topic, links to Law Libraries in Japan, and specialized Japan law links.

Japan Gateway (University of Sydney Law School, Australia)
Provides links to information about important legal factors to consider when doing business in Japan.

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Japanese Case Law Online:

Judgments of the Supreme Court of Japan (1952 - Present) (English)
Opinions available in English from this Japanese Government website.

Senrei (先例) (English)
Summaries of important recent constitutional, civil and commercial law cases from Japan as well as articles and essays on a variety of topics relating to law in Japan.

全判例検索=Zenhanrei Kensaku (All cases) (Japanese)
Summaries of all Japanese Court Cases

最高裁判所判例集=Saikō Saibansho Hanreishū (Japanese)
Summaries of Japan Supreme Court cases

高等裁判所判例集=Kōtō Saibansho Hanreishū (Japanese)
Summaries of High Court

下級裁判所判例集=Kakyū Saibansho Hanreishū (Japanese)
Summaries of District Court cases

知的財産裁判例集=Shiteki zaisan saiban Hanreishū (Japanese)
Case summaries of all courts in Japan on intellectual property

判例タイムズ= Hanrei Taimuzu (Japanese)
http://www.hanta.co.jp/hanta-backnumberfile.htm

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Japanese Case Law in Print:

範六法=Mohan Roppo (Japanese)
Call number: LAW KNX12 .M63
There are three sections: index to entries for statutes, index to relevant cases, and a selection of laws.

判例=Hanrei Mastā CD-ROM (Japanese)
LAW KNX1597 .A15 H36
Contains the text of cases and laws

Japanese Annual of International Law
LAW KNX6 .J3

The constitutional case law of Japan: selected Supreme Court decisions, 1961-70
LAW KNX2066.5 .J36 1978

The constitutional case law of Japan, 1970 through 1990
LAW KNX2066.5 1996

Series of prominent judgments of the Supreme Court upon questions of constitutionality
LAW KNX18 .A35 1954 J36

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Japanese Laws Online:

Japanese Constitution (English)
Japanese Constitution (English)

法令データ提供システム＝Hōrei deta teikyō shisutemu (Japanese)
Full text of current Japanese laws, including ministerial ordinances and regulations.

English Translations of Japanese Laws = 日本の国内法の英訳 (Japanese)

Japan Documentation Center (1992-2000)
Database of public policy information issued between 1993 and 1999. Most items (95%) are in Japanese. Each record in the bibliographic database has a detailed English abstract, and the web index file allows full text searching. No updates since 2000.

Kodansha Encyclopedia of Japan
* Also available through UH Libraries, Electronic Resources

Cabinet Secretariat: Translation of Laws & Regulations

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Japanese Laws in Print:

EHS Law Bulletin Series, Japan. (English)
LAW KNX13 .E32 1948
This is the most comprehensive collection of English translations of Japanese laws.

六法全書=Roppo Zensho (Japanese)
LAW KNX12 .R6
Issued annually. It includes an extensive collection of laws grouped by code (the Constitution, criminal, civil and commercial etc.

判例=Hanrei Mastā CD-ROM (Japanese)
LAW KNX1597 .A15 H36
It contains the text of cases and laws

Japanese laws in English : an index to the EHS law bulletin series (2nd Edition)
LAW KNX 13 .E32 2000

Foreign Law: Current sources of Codes and Basic Legislation in Jurisdictions of the World (1989 - Present)
LAW Z 675.L2 A35 no.33

Doing business in Japan
LAW KNX 920 .D64

Commercial laws of the world
LAW HF 1205 .C65

Tax laws of the world
LAW KNX 3544 .T39 1990

The Japanese annual of international law
LAW KNX 6 .J3

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Japanese Government:

Executive:
Prime Minister of Japan and His Cabinet (Japanese and English website)

Japan Patent Office (English)

Judicial:
Supreme Court of Japan (English)

Legislative:
House of Representatives (English)

House of Councilors (English)

Diet & Parliaments (English)
National Diet Library, with full-text Diet session proceedings and documents.

Japanese National Government Publications in the Library of Congress: A Bibliography
Z3305 .U54 1981

An Introduction to Japanese Government Publications
J674.R1 K87

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Journals & Legal Indexes:

Index to Foreign Legal Periodicals
LAW REF K33.I45

Journal Articles (Japanese)
雑誌記事索引 = Zasshi Kiji Sakuin

LegalTrac (Legal Resource Index)

エヌ ビー エル = New Business Law, NBL (Japanese)

日本法令索引= Nihon hōrei sakuin (Japanese)
Index to laws. Includes separate indexes to drafts, treaties, current laws, abolished laws. Also may search all types together.

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Useful Websites for other Japanese Research:

Japan Knowledge Database* (Japanese)
The Japan Knowledge database provides more than 30 databases such as 5 encyclopedias, 8 dictionaries, 7 full text magazines, interactive maps, and more.
*Available through UH Libraries, Electronic Resources

Monumenta Nipponica* (2000 - Present)(English)
Monumenta Nipponica* (1938-2000)(German and English)
An interdisciplinary quarterly journal on Japanese culture and society, covering history, literature, art history, religion, thought, and anthropology, and translations of important Japanese literary and historical sources. Early volumes included articles in German and other European languages, but from volume 19 (1964) English has been the sole language of publication.
* Available through UH Libraries, Electronic Resources

Nengō (Western calendar year conversion on the web) (Japanese)
Formulas to convert from Japanese Era years to Western years:
Meiji: add 67 to 1800 (?? 1= 1868)
Taisho: add 11 to 1900 (??1= 1912)
Showa: add 25 to 1900 (?? 1= 1926)
Heisei: add 88 to 1900 (?? 1= 1989)

Nihon Tokei Nenkan = Japan Statistical Year-Book (English)
Annual publication with general statistics on Japan, now available online in PDF.
* Also available at UH Sinclair Library on CD ROM 643.

Social Science Japan (1994-Present)
Social Science Japan is an English-language newsletter of the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo. This newsletter provides concise information on key people, important issues, and recent developments in social science research on Japan. Full-text available online in PDF format.

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Japanese Newspapers:

Daily Yomiuri* On-Line (English)
Daily Yomiuri On-Line is the English home page for Yomiuri Shinbun, a leading Japanese national newspaper. Includes current day's Japanese and international news.
* Back issues available through UH Libraries, Electronic Resources

Nikkei Weekly* (English)
The concise source for business, economic, political news covering Japan. Website is in English
* Back issues available through UH Libraries, Electronic Resources

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Japanese/English Dictionaries:

Japanese-English Legal Dictionary (Japanese)

Japanese-English Legal Glossary
University of Washington Law School-produced glossary. This glossary was compiled by students at the University of Washington and elsewhere.
Select "MISCDIC" from the drop-down list, and click on "proceed."
Print version is available on Reserve at the Law Library.

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Japanese Libraries:

Industrial Property Digital Library (Japanese or English website)
The Industrial Property Digital Library (IPDL) offers the public access to IP Gazettes of the Japan Patent Office free of charge through the Internet.

National Diet Library
Japan’s National Library

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