Zentaro Kitagawa – författare

Developments of the law in Japan and in Germany provide ample reason for an inquiry into “The Identity of Japanese and German Civil Law”. Japanese civil law has a long tradition of absorbing and digesting foreign influences, - in particular from Germany, France, England and the United States. The absorption of foreign influences occurred on various levels: at the legislative level, in particular during the drafting process of the Civil Code, at the judicial level and in the field of scholarship. The reception of legal theories was followed by a unique process that has been characterised as “theory reception” (Kitagawa). Irrespective of such foreign influences, we can discern a unique legal tradition in Japan - in other words, its own identity. At the same time, German private law is under the influence of legal harmonisation in the EU. While the predominant view in the 1980''s was still that this development was confined to a restricted area - that of “consumer law” - recent developments demonstrate that European Union legislation now influences large parts of German civil law. What does this mean in terms of the identity of German civil law? And how does this development of a “Europeanization” of German civil law affect related legal systems, such as that of Japan?

The present volume contains the proceedings of a conference held in Japan in 2006 to mark the occasion of the “Germany Year in Japan”. In their contributions, Japanese scholars discuss the various influences on Japanese law; German scholars enquire into the Europeanization of German private law; and finally, the identity of Japanese civil law is discussed from the perspectives of German civil law and of common law.

Developments of the law in Japan and in Germany provide ample reason for an inquiry into “The Identity of Japanese and German Civil Law”. Japanese civil law has a long tradition of absorbing and digesting foreign influences, - in particular from Germany, France, England and the United States. The absorption of foreign influences occurred on various levels: at the legislative level, in particular during the drafting process of the Civil Code, at the judicial level and in the field of scholarship. The reception of legal theories was followed by a unique process that has been characterised as “theory reception” (Kitagawa). Irrespective of such foreign influences, we can discern a unique legal tradition in Japan - in other words, its own identity. At the same time, German private law is under the influence of legal harmonisation in the EU. While the predominant view in the 1980's was still that this development was confined to a restricted area - that of “consumer law” - recent developments demonstrate that European Union legislation now influences large parts of German civil law. What does this mean in terms of the identity of German civil law? And how does this development of a “Europeanization” of German civil law affect related legal systems, such as that of Japan?The present volume contains the proceedings of a conference held in Japan in 2006 to mark the occasion of the “Germany Year in Japan”. In their contributions, Japanese scholars discuss the various influences on Japanese law; German scholars enquire into the Europeanization of German private law; and finally, the identity of Japanese civil law is discussed from the perspectives of German civil law and of common law.

Im Juli 2004 beschäftigten sich japanische und deutsche Juristen in Tübingen mit dem Thema "Das Recht vor den Herausforderungen neuer Technologien". Im Mittelpunkt des Symposiums stand die Frage, inwieweit unterschiedlichen institutionellen und kulturellen Rahmenbedingungen verhaftete Rechtssysteme wie die Deutschlands und Japans konvergierende Muster und Werte zur rechtlichen Regelung und Steuerung in Bezug auf die Entwicklung und die Nutzung neuer Technologien herausgebildet haben. Herkömmlicher Disziplinentrennung folgend, wurde dabei zwischen zivil- und wirtschaftsrechtlichen, öffentlichrechtlichen und strafrechtlichen Aspekten der Entwicklung und Nutzung neuer Technologien - unter diesen vor allem der Bio- und Gentechnologie und der neuen elektronischen Medien - unterschieden. Dieser Band versammelt die auf dem Symposium gehaltenen, gründlich überarbeiteten Vorträge der japanischen und deutschen Referenten. Zusammen genommen zeichnen die Beiträge ein facettenreiches Bild von der doppelten, nationale Besonderheiten überlagernden Funktion des Rechts bei der Entwicklung und dem Einsatz neuer Technologien: einerseits ist diesen (unter Beachtung historisch gewachsener und geschützter Rechtsgüter und Interessen) eine Grenze zu ziehen, andererseits sind sie als Instrumente sowohl des nationalen und internationalen Wettbewerbs als auch des zivilisatorischen Fortschritts zu stimulieren und zu fördern.