This course provides a critical and interdisciplinary overview of the major legal and political developments that have shaped - and continue to shape - Japanese society. Drawing on perspectives from political science, law, history, and sociology, the course emphasizes both top-down and bottom-up processes in Japanese governance. It focuses on how law operates within society, particularly through constitutional, criminal, and civil law. However, the aim is not to analyze these laws in isolation, but to explore how they function within the social fabric of Japan. Law is a fundamental aspect of everyday life in all societies: it provides predictability, helps avoid anarchy, and secures cooperation among members of society by prioritizing the common good over individual gain (law as a tool for stability in society). Law is also a tool for action when people or groups feel excluded, discriminated against, or believe they are being treated unjustly (law as a tool for social change). This course examines the central features of Japan's legal system, viewing law as a social institution and exploring its relationship with other societal systems. We will focus on the role of key actors in the legal system and the interplay between social stability, and change. Additionally, the course emphasizes the relationship between law and broader economic, political, and social processes. From the perspective of the sociology of law (or socio-legal studies), we will examine how law serves as both a practical resource for addressing social issues (a tool for change) and a set of shared representations and aspirations (for stability). The course will explore how legal professionals (lawyers, judges, law enforcement officers) and ordinary citizens mobilize and use law. Due to time constraints, we cannot cover every aspect of Japan’s legal system or every actor involved. Instead, we will focus on key topics that illustrate the situational and systemic demands placed on actors within the legal system. At the same time, we will seek to identify patterns in how law interacts with and influences society. Some of the topics we will address include Japan’s exceptional record in economic development, crime control, and its low litigation rate. These topics exemplify why Japan's legal system is so efficient; not only by examining how it functions today, but also by tracing its historical roots and understanding why it evolved in this way. We will also address topics such as the death penalty, wrongful convictions, same-sex marriage, and other areas of social activism where law is used to drive social change. These topics reflect the "reverse side of the coin," where law may not function effectively, and social activism seeks to change the situation. In sum, we will analyze the actual evolution of the rule of law in both the past and present, with an eye on the future of Japan and its place in a globalizing world. Therefore, this course combines methodologies from the sociology of law and legal history. We will also critically assess the limitations of law in Japan, asking which social issues remain unresolved by the legal system. Is Japan’s legal system an example for other countries to follow, or not? Ultimately, the goal is to critically examine both the merits and flaws of Japan's legal system in an informed and balanced manner. By studying how conflicts are resolved, how social order is maintained, how movements for social change emerge, and how legal frameworks operate within Japan’s socio-political context, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of Japan’s legal system from the Meiji era (1868–1945) to the present day. Each class will begin with a methodological introduction, providing students with tools from the sociology of law, followed by the analysis of primary materials (e.g., court decisions, political speeches, legislative texts, personal diaries) and secondary readings that offer academic context.

Living systems possess highly specialized regulatory and signaling networks, operating at the cellular, tissue, and organ levels, that utilize distinct molecular repertoires to mediate intra- and intercellular information exchange. These multifaceted systems enable organisms to adapt dynamically to environmental perturbations while maintaining organismal integrity and functional homeostasis. Elucidating the molecular basis of such processes—including the interactions between bioactive signaling molecules, such as low-molecular-weight organic compounds and peptide hormones, and their cognate binding proteins or receptors, as well as the downstream cellular responses they initiate—represents a critical frontier in modern biological research. This course will present state-of-the-art methodologies for dissecting molecular recognition and interaction mechanisms, framed by case studies of diverse physiological phenomena in which these processes play essential roles.

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.

戦後日本の最高裁判例のうち、読み応えのあるものを選んで、判例の読み方を訓練することを目的とする。

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.

・競争法の思考方法を、まずは比較法に基づく広い視野から英語で、次に日本の独禁法に絞って日本語で、体系的に修得することを目的とする。 This course aims to give you a solid understanding of how competition law works. We start with a broad, comparative perspective in English, then move on to Japanese competition law in Japanese. 競争法は、市場において企業がどこまでの行為が許されるのか、その境界線を設定する。試合におけるレフェリーのようなものである。日本では独占禁止法としても知られている。 Competition law sets the boundaries of what companies are allowed to do in the marketplace. It is like the referee in a boxing match. In Japan, the rules of competition law are mostly found in the Antimonopoly Act. この講義は二つのパートで構成されている。 第1部（英語）：競争法の主要な概念および基本原則 第2部（日本語）：日本の独占禁止法の事例を用いた体系的講義 This course consists of two parts: - Part 1 (in English): key concepts and fundamental principles in competition law - Part 2 (in Japanese): a systematic overview of Japanese competition law, including case law 第1部は Vande Walle教授が英語で担当し、第2部は 滝澤教授が日本語で担当する。第1部では、学生は英語で短いレポートを提出する必要がある。第2部は、学期末に行われる日本語の筆記試験で評価される。 Part 1 will be taught in English by Professor Vande Walle. Part 2 will be taught in Japanese by Professor Takizawa. For part 1, students will be required to write a short paper in English. Part 2 will be tested by a written exam at the end of the semester in Japanese.

This course explores the role of law and governance in mediating the human-environment interface. It focuses on the Anthropocene as it confronts law and governance scholars with a unique challenge concerning the need to question, and ultimately re-imagine, international environmental law and governance interventions in the light of a new socio-ecological situation. Through interactive lectures, classroom discussions based upon pre-assigned readings, oral presentations, and the elaboration of a joint mini-project, students not only assess the (mostly unsuccessful and ineffective) regulatory interventions used thus far to mediate the human-environment interface; they also examine the possibility to develop counter-narratives and alternative institutional practices, by drawing on most recent critical legal approaches as well as sociocultural traditions that have been marginalised within international environmental law.

This course explores the role of law and governance in mediating the human-environment interface. It focuses on the Anthropocene as it confronts law and governance scholars with a unique challenge concerning the need to question, and ultimately re-imagine, international environmental law and governance interventions in the light of a new socio-ecological situation. Through interactive lectures, classroom discussions based upon pre-assigned readings, oral presentations, and the elaboration of a joint mini-project, students not only assess the (mostly unsuccessful and ineffective) regulatory interventions used thus far to mediate the human-environment interface; they also examine the possibility to develop counter-narratives and alternative institutional practices, by drawing on most recent critical legal approaches as well as sociocultural traditions that have been marginalised within international environmental law.

・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。