2014.01.23
The United States, China, Japan, South Korea, and Australia are major economies in the Pacific Rim. In addition to having close geographical and historical ties, companies in these countries are actively deepening their economic exchange through international trade and investment activities. However, once a legal dispute arises, significant uncertainty unfortunately remains as to whether transactions and investments between parties of different nationalities will be protected as intended, whether the parties can ultimately realize their rights through judicial proceedings, and whether a judgment obtained in one country regarding the dispute will be recognized or enforced by another. In particular, the system for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, which can be considered the final means of realizing rights, is the most crucial area for private companies and individuals operating internationally to realize their rights across borders.
At Keio University Law School, a "Future Pioneering Chairship Course" (sponsored by Daiwa Securities Co. Ltd.) was offered as a two-credit course in the fall semester of 2012. The course invited distinguished professors from university law faculties or law schools in the United States, China, South Korea, and Australia. Its primary objective was to organize the systems for the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments in these five countries, including Japan, and to confirm the current level of international cooperation. In this course, just under 20 graduate students, including international students, and related legal practitioners participated in all 15 lectures, striving to understand each country's system and engaging in repeated, enthusiastic discussions. In particular, the opportunity to lecture on and comparatively examine these systems from a cross-national perspective was an extremely valuable achievement, and it was highly praised by the course students and cooperating legal practitioners as being very informative. Furthermore, we received a valuable suggestion from legal practitioners that the results should be published, and with the kind consent of our university's executive board and the NBL editorial department, this book has come to be published.
This book studies the legal systems of Pacific Rim countries, which aligns with the international focus our university aims for. Furthermore, as it is expected to be a valuable piece of literature and resource for researchers, practitioners, and students interested in private international law, we are pleased to introduce and report on it here.
Contact: Susumu Masuda ( masuda.4@ls.keio.ac.jp )
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