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Temple Law School and RBA to Provide MCLE Credit for US-Qualified Attorneys (RBA February Meeting)

Temple University School of Law, Tokyo Campus is pleased to offer one MCLE credit to U.S. qualified attorneys who attend the Roppongi Bar Association (RBA) meeting, "Foreign Residents and the Japanese Legal System " with guest speaker and Human Rights activist, Debito Arudou.

The RBA Executive Board is very pleased to host the prolific author and noted human rights activist Debito Arudou at our February speaker event! Debito, an Associate Professor at a private university in Hokkaido, came to the notice of many in Japan as a plaintiff in the renowned "Otaru Onsen Discrimination Case", instituted in 2001, in which Debito, German Olaf Karthaus and American Ken Sutherland took an onsen (hot spring) in Otaru and the City of Otaru to court for, respectively, racial discrimination, and negligence under the Constitution and UN treaty due to the onsen's banning of foreign persons in violation of their Human Rights. In the ensuing years, Debito and his fellow plaintiffs continued the case and raising the awareness of racial discrimination issues in Japan, in particular Japan's status, in his words, as "the only developed country without any form of law banning racial discrimination".

Debito is a naturalized Japanese citizen and is very familiar with the immigration laws and naturalization issues for non-citizens in Japan as well as the Japanese legal and regulatory system. During the meeting, he will provide his unique insights into the Japanese laws and regulations that particularly impact non-Japanese and non-citizen residents here in Japan, the current status of human rights and related legislation in Japan, individual's rights when interacting with the Japanese legal system (or the police!) as well as his related personal experiences here in Japan.

The RBA is a social and educational association consisting primarily of legal professionals in Japan. It is a member-supported organization run by volunteers by and for the group membership. The RBA traces its roots in Japan back over 25 years, in which time it has served to bring the foreign legal community together by offering educational and social events at which attendees can meet to discuss important issues of the day, and the changing legal landscape in Japan. In that regard, the RBA hosts substantive lectures and speeches by leading professionals on a variety of subjects throughout the year. For more information about the RBA, please visit their home page at www.rbalaw.org.

In an effort to assist U.S. attorneys in Japan satisfy their various CLE requirements, the Law School, as an Accredited Provider of Pennsylvania CLE credits, holds, on its own and in conjunction with other legal organizations in Japan, special events throughout the year in which U.S. qualified attorneys in Japan may be able to receive U.S. MCLE credits (please check with your state to confirm acceptance of PA MCLE credits by your state's CLE board). If you are interested in being notified of our future events, please e-mail us at law@tuj.ac.jp to be included on our e-mailing list.

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