Big Tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple and Microsoft play an important role in the digital economy and in our daily lives. You are probably reading this text through a product or service offered by one of these companies. How convenient! Yet the rapid growth and enormous power of these companies have also raised serious concerns. Have these companies become digital monopolies? Have they abused their market power to exclude smaller competitors? Have they become so large that they can no longer be regulated? Do they pose risks to democracy and other public values? This course examines these questions primarily through the lens of competition law, while also paying close attention to other key areas of digital regulation. The main focus is on the EU, Japan and the U.S. but developments in other jurisdictions may be discussed where relevant. By the end of the course, students should be able to: •Understand the main legal problems raised by Big Tech •Explain the legal tools used to address these problems, •Describe and compare how the EU, Japan and the U.S. regulate Big Tech.

Big Tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple and Microsoft play an important role in the digital economy and in our daily lives. You are probably reading this text through a product or service offered by one of these companies. How convenient! Yet the rapid growth and enormous power of these companies have also raised serious concerns. Have these companies become digital monopolies? Have they abused their market power to exclude smaller competitors? Have they become so large that they can no longer be regulated? Do they pose risks to democracy and other public values? This course examines these questions primarily through the lens of competition law, while also paying close attention to other key areas of digital regulation. The main focus is on the EU, Japan and the U.S. but developments in other jurisdictions may be discussed where relevant. By the end of the course, students should be able to: •Understand the main legal problems raised by Big Tech •Explain the legal tools used to address these problems, •Describe and compare how the EU, Japan and the U.S. regulate Big Tech.

Big Tech companies such as Google, Amazon, Meta, Apple and Microsoft play an important role in the digital economy and in our daily lives. You are probably reading this text through a product or service offered by one of these companies. How convenient! Yet the rapid growth and enormous power of these companies have also raised serious concerns. Have these companies become digital monopolies? Have they abused their market power to exclude smaller competitors? Have they become so large that they can no longer be regulated? Do they pose risks to democracy and other public values? This course examines these questions primarily through the lens of competition law, while also paying close attention to other key areas of digital regulation. The main focus is on the EU, Japan and the U.S. but developments in other jurisdictions may be discussed where relevant. By the end of the course, students should be able to: •Understand the main legal problems raised by Big Tech •Explain the legal tools used to address these problems, •Describe and compare how the EU, Japan and the U.S. regulate Big Tech.

This seminar aims to discuss the social / historical bases on which a modern legal system might operate in various East Asian societies, and to provide an introduction to some of those problems involving the integration of different legal traditions into a pluralistic yet coherent legal regime. We will focus on the tensions experienced by these societies, involving the importation of what were presented as "universal" values and norms, and the near-universal resistance to these values and norms, such resistance being based on the notions of custom and tradition. While the initial focus will be mainly on the experiences concerning the formation of legal institutions in China and Japan, students will be encouraged to bring in perspectives from other societies as well. The problems discussed will include: the difficulties regarding what exactly can be identified as East Asian legal traditions; how legal regimes were structured through the actions of actors exploiting the plurality of legal traditions; and how the relationship between legal arrangements and the political power-structure played out. Particular attention will also be paid to the issues of colonialism, and the uneasy relationship between Modernisation, Westernisation and Colonisation in these societies. The ability to read source materials written in Chinese and/or Japanese would be of much help, but will not be essential.

This seminar aims to discuss the social / historical bases on which a modern legal system might operate in various East Asian societies, and to provide an introduction to some of those problems involving the integration of different legal traditions into a pluralistic yet coherent legal regime. We will focus on the tensions experienced by these societies, involving the importation of what were presented as "universal" values and norms, and the near-universal resistance to these values and norms, such resistance being based on the notions of custom and tradition. While the initial focus will be mainly on the experiences concerning the formation of legal institutions in China and Japan, students will be encouraged to bring in perspectives from other societies as well. The problems discussed will include: the difficulties regarding what exactly can be identified as East Asian legal traditions; how legal regimes were structured through the actions of actors exploiting the plurality of legal traditions; and how the relationship between legal arrangements and the political power-structure played out. Particular attention will also be paid to the issues of colonialism, and the uneasy relationship between Modernisation, Westernisation and Colonisation in these societies. The ability to read source materials written in Chinese and/or Japanese would be of much help, but will not be essential.

労働法は、人が働くことに関係する法分野であり、話題になることも多い身近な法分野である（例えば、報道等で目にするものとしては、ジョブ型・メンバーシップ型雇用、ハラスメント、ワークライフバランス、時間外労働、裁量労働、過労死・過労自殺、同一労働同一賃金、解雇の金銭解決、兼業・副業、プラットフォームワーク、企業別組合といった問題に関係する）。本講義では、そうした問題が日本の法制度や雇用システムにどのように位置づけられるかの検討を通じて、労働法を体系的に把握することを目指すとともに、今後の社会において労働法が果たすべき役割について、時に外国法の動向にも触れつつ、考察する。 以上の点について検討することを通じて、簡素な具体的な事例に対して、一定の法的判断を行う能力を身につけるとともに、より望ましい法的仕組み・法的制度のあり方を考える素地を身につけることを目指す。

労働法は、人が働くことに関係する法分野であり、話題になることも多い身近な法分野である（例えば、報道等で目にするものとしては、ジョブ型・メンバーシップ型雇用、ハラスメント、ワークライフバランス、時間外労働、裁量労働、過労死・過労自殺、同一労働同一賃金、解雇の金銭解決、兼業・副業、プラットフォームワーク、企業別組合といった問題に関係する）。本講義では、そうした問題が日本の法制度や雇用システムにどのように位置づけられるかの検討を通じて、労働法を体系的に把握することを目指すとともに、今後の社会において労働法が果たすべき役割について、時に外国法の動向にも触れつつ、考察する。 以上の点について検討することを通じて、簡素な具体的な事例に対して、一定の法的判断を行う能力を身につけるとともに、より望ましい法的仕組み・法的制度のあり方を考える素地を身につけることを目指す。

How does law realize public policy? What prevents laws to be effective? How can practitioners prepare for various stages in the making of law and public policy? With the focus on international economic law, this course will address these questions by exploring the two-level game theory, which views international negotiations as simultaneous discussions at both the domestic and international levels, as well as the concept of ambiguity of law. This course is structured around three learning objectives: (1) understanding the theories of law and public policy; (2) applying theoretical understanding of law and public policy to real-life issues and cases; and (3) experiencing negotiations and briefings which are the daily activities of practitioners.

イギリスの Employment Rights Act 2025（2025年雇用権利法） は、労働党政権下で進められた数十年ぶりの労働法大改革であり、2025年12月18日に国王の裁可（Royal Assent）を得て成立した。同法は労働者の権利を大幅に強化し、現代の経済状況に合わせた雇用枠組みを構築することを目的として、多くの権利が「勤務初日（Day One）」から認められるようになる。具体的には、不公正解雇（Unfair Dismissal）保護の拡大（勤続要件を従来の2年から6ヶ月に短縮）、裁定金の上限撤廃、搾取的なゼロ時間契約を禁止し、定期的に働いている時間に基づいた「確定労働時間の契約」提示義務の導入、病欠手当（SSP）3日間の待機期間・最低所得制限の撤廃、育児休暇（Parental Leave）や父親の育児休暇（Paternity Leave）が勤務初日から取得可能に、不当な「解雇と再雇用（Fire and Rehire）」の禁止等の改正が順次施行される見通しである。これらの改革を通じて、現代イギリスにおいてどのような課題が存在し、どのように解決されようとしているのかを学ぶ。

・英語で日本法を学ぶ機会を広く提供するプログラムであり、アメリカ、オーストラリア、韓国、シンガポール、タイ、台湾、中国、ベルギーなど各国からの学生が参加する予定である。本学の学生にとっても、世界各国の学生や、海外で活躍する日本の一線級の実務家・研究者と議論し、大いに見聞を拡げ、将来に向けての継続的な交流の手がかりを得る場となることが見込まれる。 ・講師が単に日本法の講義を行うというのではなく、多様なバックグラウンドを持つ参加者間でのディスカッションを通じて、日本が直面する現在の法的な問題に取り組むことを想定している。また、最高裁判所や法律事務所の見学を予定しており、学生の間に日本の法実務に触れる良い機会にもなろう。