IALS Lunchtime Seminar: Translation and Publishment Legal Maxim Collections in Meiji-Era Japan--an endeavour to understand the ideas of Western Law

Title: Translation and Publishment Legal Maxim Collections in Meiji-Era Japan--an endeavour to understand the ideas of Western Law

Speaker:  Kazuhiro Matsumoto, Kazuhiro Matsumoto, Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Graduate School of Law, Kyoto University, Japan

The recognition of law among each society depend on their background in some parts.  When one society want to understand the fundamental legal idea of the others, the contribution of translation will have a substantial importance. This seminar aims to consider it through Japan in the nineteenth century as an example.
 After the opening up of Japan to the western world, the contact with European and Anglo-American countries means the start of struggling to understand the ideas of Western Law for Japanese people. This sequence had finished temporarily by proclamation of modern Japanese Law-codes with the style of Continental Law, then moved to the next course with theory and practice by Japanese own. However, in parallel with this, some attempts to understand Western legal ideas and concepts through translation of legal maxim collections existed. Moreover, the two earlier translations were from Anglo-American Law. 
 This seminar starts with the history of the "reception of law" in Meiji-era Japan briefly. Then move to focus on the four legal maxim collections in the period. Finally, have time to exchange views with audiences regarding how to considerate the “reception of law” or “transplant of law” among people who have different cultures about law.