LibGuides: Japanese Law Research Guide: Books

Books on Japanese Law

Find Books on Japanese Law Topics at UC Law SF

UC Law SF Library offers extensive resources for Japanese law research, including print & e-books. If you do not see the books that you need, you can borrow books from other institutions via interlibrary loans.

UC Law SF Catalog
To find books online or in print, use the UC Law SF Library catalog. You can also use this resource to search for journals or articles.

Here are some searches that you may want to try using in various databases. Following the links takes you to that search in the UC Law SF catalog. Use filters to refine your search:

Subject contains exact phrase Law -- Japan
Filters: Books. Sorted by Date-newest.
Subject contains exact phrase Civil law -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-newest
Subject contains exact phrase Law -- Japan -- Cases
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-newest
Subject contains exact phrase business law -- Japan
Filters: Books
Subject contains exact phrase Commercial law -- Japan
Filters: Books; Sorted by: Date-newest
Subject contains exact phrase Antitrust law -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-newest
To search for different fields of law law of other tribes, you can replace Antitrust in this search with the field interest to you.
Subject contains exact phrase finance -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Dispute resolution (Law) -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Contracts -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Rule of law -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Constitutions -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Constitutional Law -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Law -- Japan -- History
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Justice, Administration of -- Japan -- History
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest
Subject contains exact phrase Law -- Moral and ethical aspects -- Japan
Filter: Books
Subject contains exact phrase Lawyers, Foreign -- Japan
Filter: Books; Sorted by Date-Newest

You can use these same subject headings to search for books in:

WorldCat
Locate books and articles available in libraries around the world. You can use the same subject headings from the searches shown above. Use the blue button in the item record to place an interlibrary loan request for the item.

Or run key word searches in the full text of books in:

SHAFR Guide Online: An Annotated Bibliography of U.S. Foreign Relations since 1600
The SHAFR Guide Online is an online annotated bibliography covering the entire span of U.S. foreign relations from the 1600s through 2016, and all geographical areas of the world. Entries include every type of historical source; collections of government documents, biographies, monographs, book chapters, journal articles, web sites, and much more. The SHAFR Guide Online is a useful research tool for historians of U.S. foreign relations.
Sample search in SHAFR: Japan OR Japanese
You may need to log into the database first before this link will work for you outside of the library.

Google Books This link opens in a new window
Search a wide variety of books. You may have an option to view the contents of the book, but often online access is very limited.

If you find a book that you want to read, but it is not in our library, you can place an Interlibrary Loan. See:

Interlibrary Loan Services

Books with a Section on Japanese Law

It might also be worth looking for subject-specific books with country-by-country summaries of the law. For example, these titles all have good current chapters on Japan:

World Arbitration Reporter by Loukas Mistelis & Laurence Shore
Call Number: 4th Stacks ; K2400.A15 W672
ISBN: 9781933833460
Publication Date: April, 2010
Vol. 1A
The Littler Mendelson Guide to International Employment and Labor Law by Littler Mendelson
Call Number: 4th Stacks ; K1705 .L58 2017
ISBN: 1522107010
Publication Date: 2017
The book is written for lawyers and human resources executives charged with answering compliance questions relating to employment and law requirements in a range of jurisdictions. The subjects covered for each country are those on which we receive questions most frequently. The book's organization begins with general chapters that provide background for the user: extraterritorial application of US employment & labor laws; self governance in global employment standards; European Union (and its impact on the employment and labor laws of its Member States). Following these general chapters are the country-specific chapters. To facilitate ease of comparison between countries, each chapter includes the same questions and is organized by the same numbering scheme ... Each chapter is authored by a law firm known for expertise in the employment and labor laws of the country. Vol. III
International Labor and Employment Laws by William L. Keller; Timothy J. Darby; Carl Bevernage; American Bar Association, International Labor and Employment Law Committee Staff (Contribution by)
Call Number: 4th Stacks ; K1705.4 .I47 2013
ISBN: 9781617463044
Publication Date: 2013-01-01
Much has changed since the first edition was published in 1997; this edition adds information about privacy, trade secrets, employee duty of loyalty, and covenants not to compete, as well as a new chapter on international employee associations and a discussion of the new European Corporation Statute. The volume is intended to provide basic knowledge of the statutory and regulatory systems of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Canada, Mexico, the US (including the Northern Mariana Islands and Puerto Rico), South Africa, China and Hong Kong, Japan, and Brazil. Other countries are covered in volume two. Parts four and five discuss international organizations and multinational corporations.
Vol. 1A (2015) [An updated 2022 Japan section is also available online through Bloomberg Law]

International Encyclopaedia of Laws: Labour Law and Industrial Relations by Blanpain, R.
Call Number: 4th Stacks ; K1705 .I5
Publication Date: 1977-
Vol. 9 (2005)
Designed to provide information to the international business and labour relations communities; to facilitate comparative research in the field; and to contribute to the growing harmonization of labour law and standards worldwide. With over 76 detailed country-by-country monographs and eleven in-depth international monographs as well as five volumes of case law and five volumes of reprinted legislation, it is by far the most comprehensive work of its kind in existence.
Each national monograph, written by one or more experts in the field from the country under discussion, consists of introductory material including vital statistics, political system, and social values; a historical background note. sources of the state's labour law; and the traditional role of its institutions in industrial relations. Both individual and collective labour relations are covered. International monographs deal with standards set by prominent international organizations such as the Arab Labour Organization, the Council of Europe, the International Labour Organization, the European Community and the OECD, as well as the role of labour law in the work of significant regional organizations.
The work offers factual information and practical insight into both the technical legal and day-to-day aspects of labour relations. It also covers developing trends in the relationship between management and labour. As a result of its breadth of coverage and clear, logical format, the reader gains access to a broad base of information in a single, easy-to-use resource.

You can find these types of sources by combining multiple subjects using an Advanced Search in the Library Catalog. See below for some sample searches.

UC Law SF Catalog Advanced Search

These types of searches might find books with sections on Japan even if the subject of the book is not about Japan.

Select Books on Japanese Law

The Japanese Legal System by Colin P. A. Jones; Frank S. Ravitch
Call Number: 5th Stacks ; KNX470 .J65 2018
ISBN: 9781642425376
Publication Date: 2018-10-15
The Japanese Legal System by Professors Colin P.A. Jones and Frank S. Ravitch provides the most comprehensive and up-to-date overview of Japan's system of law and government available in English. Focusing on practical aspects of the subject, it covers the law-making process, constitutional theory and reality, the civil, criminal and administrative justice systems, the environment of business law and regulation and the Japanese legal professions. Importantly, it also provides a context for understanding the Japanese legal system in readily comprehensible terms, including historical background and the different (compared to the United States and other common law systems) role and organization of the courts as part of an overall system of government.
Competition Law and Policy in Japan and the EU by Estuko Kameoka
Call Number: 4th Stacks ; K1575 .K36 2014
ISBN: 9781781000557
Publication Date: 2014-01-31
Comparative analysis of competition law and policy in Japan and the EU. It provides a clear and carefully researched exposition of the differences between the relevant rules, systems and underlying ideas of the two jurisdictions, together with the relevant historical backgrounds. The author chooses to discuss the main areas of competition law in these jurisdictions, with particular focus placed on the gaps between the written law and practice, including analysis of the current debates that suggest future directions in competition and policy will aim towards harmonization of both systems.
The Changing Role of Law in Japan by Dimitri Vanoverbeke (Editor); Jeroen Maesschalck (Editor); David Nelken (Editor); Stephan Parmentier (Editor)
Call Number: 5th Stacks ; KNX74 .C43 2014
ISBN: 9781783475643
Publication Date: 2014-06-27
A comparative perspective on the changing role of law in East Asia, discussing issues such as society, cultural values, access to the legal system and judicial reform. This innovative book places Japan in the wider context, juxtaposed with Europe, rather than the US, for the first time. Parallel to Japan's rise to economic prominence on the world scene in the 1960s, law and legal thinking in the country have become the focus for academic research in various respects. One recurring question has been how Japan managed to become one of the most important economic actors in the world, without the legal infrastructure usually associated with complex economic activities. This book addresses many current issues that illustrate important changes in Japanese society and its political and legal systems. The authors investigate fundamental questions about the precise role of law and the courts in Japan, and try to go beyond the classical paradigm that attributes the particularities of Japan to its unique culture or its exceptional position. The various contributions to this book all demonstrate the importance of challenging existing conceptions and revisiting them through meticulous socio-legal and empirical research.
Legal Issues in Japanese Real Estate Investment by Jeff Wynkoop
Call Number: 4th Stacks ; HD918 .W96 2012
ISBN: 9780988217409
Publication Date: 2012-12-01
A collection of twenty articles (plus a translation of the Real Estate Syndication Law) intended for both experienced real estate professionals and investors new to Japan. It provides a comprehensive overview in English of real estate topics such as: The Japanese real estate registration system; The main private and public investment vehicles: TMKs, GK-TKs, and J-REITS; The role of Japanese trust banks; Leasing in Japan; Using Japanese real estate as collateral; The Building Standards Law and the Building Certification Process; The Law on Sectional Ownership of Buildings (condominium or strata title law); The Real Estate Transactions Law; The Law on Measures against Soil Pollution; The Real Estate Syndication Law, including currently the only published English translation.
The Quest for Japan's New Constitution by Christian G. Winkler
Call Number: 5th Stacks ; KNX2070 .W56 2011
ISBN: 9780415593960
Publication Date: 2010-11-02
This book examines the many attempts over the last three decades to revise Japan’s constitution. As the book shows, these attempts at revision have been relatively conservative, aiming to embed in the constitution visions of a different future for Japan. Specific reforms advocated include: enabling Japan to have a more proactive foreign policy, more independent of the US-Japan alliance; strengthening the role of the Emperor, and excluding female succession to the throne; and emphasizing more citizens’ duties, rather than their rights, in order to strengthen community and societal cohesion.
By far the most comprehensive analysis of constitutional reform debate in Japan to be published to date, it offers translations and analysis of more than two dozen amendment proposals. The book provides a comprehensive analysis of the details of the reform proposals, charts the so far unsuccessful attempts to bring about the reforms, discusses the different groups arguing for reform, and assesses the nature of the proposed reforms. It categorises different versions of the vision for Japan’s future and shows that only a few campaigners are advocating anything like a return to Japan’s pre-war constitution.
The Constitution of Japan by Shigenori Matsui; Andrew Harding (Series edited by); Benjamin L. Berger (Series edited by); Heinz Klug (Series edited by); Peter. Leyland (Series edited by); Rosalind Dixon (Series edited by)
Call Number: 5th Stacks ; KNX2070 .M38 2011
ISBN: 9781841137926
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Japan boasts the second largest economy in the world and almost two thousand years of history. Yet, its first modern constitution, the Meiji Constitution, was not enacted until comparatively recently (1889). Since then, following World War II, Japan adopted its current Constitution, the Japanese Constitution of 1946. This book is designed to explain the outline of Japan's Constitution, together with a number of its unique characteristics and to offer an historical background and context which help explain its significance. Major topics covered include the constitutional history of Japan, fundamental principles of the Constitution, the people and the Emperor, the Diet and legislative power, Cabinet and executive power, and the Judiciary and judicial power. Also discussed is the protection of fundamental human rights, individual rights - including freedom of expression,economic freedoms, and social rights - pacifism and national defence, and the constitutional amendment and reform. Although the Japanese Constitution was enacted under the strong influence of the United States Constitution, many of its features are very different. For instance the existence of an Emperor, the long dominance of a conservative party over the Government, the relatively strong power of government bureaucrats, the absence of a leadership role in the Prime Minister, the small role the judiciary play in solving constitutional disputes and the struggle over national defence. Written in an accessible style and comprehensive in content, the reader will find this account of the constitutional law of Japan both unique and stimulating.

Browsing for Books

Books at UC Law SF are organized by call number. Most of the Japanese Law books are on the 5th floor in the KNX call number range.

If you find a book that looks interesting and you are not on campus, locate the book in our library catalog, then click on the book title, and then scroll to the bottom of the screen to virtually browse the titles nearby on the shelf. If you are on campus, browsing the shelves is a great way to find relevant books.

Japanese Law Research Guide: Books

Books on Japanese Law

Contents

Find Books on Japanese Law Topics at UC Law SF

Books with a Section on Japanese Law

Select Books on Japanese Law

Browsing for Books