SPECIALIZED JAPAN LAW LINKS

Intellectual Property and Antitrust

• The home page for the Fair Trade Commission of Japan offers information on what the JFTC do, as well as translations of antimonopoly and fair trade practice legislation.
• The Japan Patent Office's site offers an excellent collection of information and guidance to anyone who dares enter the Japanese market with a patent of their own. The site includes information on the prospect of industrial property organization, the commissioner director and the Patent Office's organizational structure. 
•   Copyright System in Japan, produced by the Copyright Research and Information Center, contains a plethora of information on copyrights in Japan including the history of the system, the concept of neighboring rights, what happens in cases of infringement and much much more.
•  Additional information on Japanese intellectual property law can be found in the quarterly newsletter of the Center for Advanced Study and Research on Intellectual Property at the University of Washington School of Law.

Constitution and Government

•   Service of Process in Japan provides information on how to effect service in Japan for litigation pending in the U.S.  The site emphasizes the importance of following the Hague Convention as well as the importance of not using substitute service if you expect to have to enforce the ultimate judgment in Japan.
• Obtaining Evidence in Japan provides information on how to obtain discovery in Japan for litigation pending in the U.S. This site, prepared by US Citizen Services in the US State Department, is very useful because it contains detailed explanation of the procedure as well as examples of the forms to be used in both U.S. and Japanese courts when discovery is being sought in Japan.
•  The Supreme Court of Japan site contains an overview of Japan's judicial system, a guide to court procedure and English translations of some of the court's prominent decisions.
• The Asia-Pacific Law and Policy Journal features articles on law and policy issues throughout the Asia-Pacific region. 

Japan's Legal Profession

•  The Japan Federation of Bar Association (Nichibenren)'s website contains information on the activities of Japanese attorneys (bengoshi).   http://www.nichibenren.or.jp/en/index.html
•  The website of the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA) offers extensive information on arbitrating in Japan, including arbitration rules, Q&A, recent news and, how the JCAA interacts and cooperates with its international counterparts.
• To find out about the latest news in the world of foreign lawyers in Japan, check out the Roppongi Bar Association's web page. This site includes the monthly newsletter with commentary and current legal job openings in the Tokyo area.   
• The website of the Foreign Women Lawyers Association provides additional insights into foreign lawyers in Japan and various current issues in Japanese law.
• Exercises in Cross-Cultural Negotiations in Japan - This site contains a series of model negotiation problems developed by Christopher Wells, Esq.  Mr. Wells is a gaikokuho jimu bengoshi whose extensive experience in Japan..

Corporate

•  JETRO, the Japan External Trade Organization, is a non-profit government organization whose purpose is the promotion of import, export and investment. This site contains information on JETRO activities, government procurement , foreign access zones within Japan and other trade-related matters.
•  The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry homepage contains extensive information on METI and the Japanese Government, along with recent highlights such as a statement on the submission of the United States to the WTO panel on the film case (February 21, 1997) and charts and tables related to Foreign Direct Investment in Japan (January 1997) and Japanese Direct Investment Abroad (January 1997).
• The International Trade Law Monitor has an array of sites and data bases that contain information ranging from treaties, conventions, model laws, rules and other relevant trade instruments to feature articles.　
•   Japanese Ministry of Finance's site is an invitation into the Japanese Government, featuring general administrative information, references and council information.
•   The Financial Services Agency (FSA) is the regulatory body charged with ensuring the effectiveness of Japan's financial institutions and financial markets.  Its website contains information on its most recently regulatory activities.
• The Japan Financial Translations website contains information on how to purchase translations of various finance-related statutes, regulations and other materials.  It also contains useful information on the Registered Representative Exam.
•  The Japanese Ministry of Labour's site describes the aims and goals of this organization. This site states it hopes to broaden ones understanding of Japan's Labour administration.  http://www2.mhlw.go.jp/english/
•   Japan Labor Bulletin, a monthly journal published by the Japan Institute of Labour.
• The American Chamber of Commerce in Japan is an organization which seeks to promote the development of commerce between the U.S. and Japan.  Viewpoints and recent events are on this site.
• The IBJ Securities Co. site contains information on various aspects of the Japanese financial world, and also some information on Japanese.

Immigration

•   Ministry of Foreign Affairs site offers an info tree and Diplomatic bluebook. For example, a cyber surfer can read joint press remarks and statements by the press secretary about recent diplomatic events. The site also contains such useful information as "A Guide to Japanese Visas".

Crime

• The Ministry of Justice's site contains a broad overview of all the various departments within the ministry as well as other useful information, such as excerpts from the most recent annual White Paper on Crime and some translations of statutes. 

(translation by Vicki L. Beyer)

Temple University Japan