Professor Emeritus of Keio University
1980
Graduated from Keio University, Faculty of Law (LL.B.)
1984
Entered the Legal Training and Research Institute of Supreme Court (38th graduating class)
1986
Graduated from Keio University, Graduate School of Law (LL.M.)
Admitted to the bar (Tokyo Bar Association)
1987
Assistant professor of Keio University, Faculty of Law
1990－1991
Visiting Scholar at the Melbourne Law School
1992
Associate Professor of Keio University, Faculty of Law
1993－1995
Visiting Scholar at Yale Law School
1997
Professor of Keio University, Faculty of law
2004
Professor of Keio University Law School
2009
Awarded the Cambodian Friendship Medal
2012
Visiting Scholar at UC College of the Law, San Francisco
2014
Awarded “Gijuku Award” from Keio University
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree in Law
2016－2019
President of Japan Association of the Law of Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution
2019－2022
President of Japan Association of the Law of Civil Procedure
2021－present
Vice-President of International Association of Procedural Law
2021
Awarded “Fukuzawa Award” from Keio University
2023
Professor Emeritus of Keio University
Joined Abe, Ikubo & Katayama
2025
Aichi Steel Audit & Supervisory Board Member
- Japan Association of the Law of Civil Procedure (former President)
- Japan Association of the Law of Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution (former President)
- International Association of Procedural Law (Vice-President)
United Nations
- UNCITRAL Japanese government representative (2000-2010)
Science Council of Japan
- 23th and 24th Member (2014-2020)
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
- Working Group on Cambodian Code of Civil Procedure (Member, 1998-2018)
- Working Group on Chinese Code of Civil Procedure (Member, 2007-2013)
- Working Group on Chinese Law on Liability for Infringement of Rights (Member, 2009-2010)
- Legal Development Domestic Support Committee (Member, 2018-present)
Supreme Court
- Supreme Court Civil Rulemaking Advisory Committee (Secretary and Member, 2003-present)
- Supreme Court Personal Status Litigation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (Secretary and Member, 2003-present)
- Civil mediation commissioner (2006-present)
Ministry of Justice
- Study Group for Revision of Bankruptcy Laws in Contemporary Japanese (Member, 1998-1999)
- Legislative Council Subcommittee regarding Collateral Enforcement Law (Secretary, 2001-2003)
- Legislative Council Subcommittee regarding Code of Civil Procedure and Personal Status Litigation Act (Secretary, 2001-2003)
- Legislative Council Subcommittee regarding Code of Civil Procedure and Civil Execution Act (Secretary, 2003-2004)
- Bar examiner (2004-2007)
- Legislative Council Subcommittee regarding Code of Civil Procedure (Secretary, 2006-2007)
- Certification examiner for certifying dispute resolution business operators under the ADR Act (2007-2019)
- Legislative Council Lawmaking Subcommittee regarding Sovereign Immunity Act (Member, 2008-2009)
- Legislative Council Subcommittee regarding Law of Procedure in Non-contentious Matters and Domestic Affairs Trial Law (Member, 2009-2011)
- Legislative Council Lawmaking Subcommittee regarding Arbitration Law (Member, 2020-2022)
Headquarters for the Promotion of Justice System Reform
- Arbitration Study Group (Deputy Chair, 2002-2004)
- ADR Study Group (Member, 2002-2004)
Cabinet Office
- Study Group regarding Consumer Organizations (Chairman, 2002-2003)
- Quality of Life Council (Temporary Member, 2003-2009)
- Study Committee regarding Consumer Group Lawsuit System (Deputy Chair, 2004-2005)
- Study Committee regarding Way of Being of National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan (Deputy Chair, 2007)
- Study Committee regarding Collective Consumer Damage Recovery System (Chairman, 2008-2009)
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
- Collaborators Meeting for Review and Operations Improvement of the “Guidelines for Responding to Misconduct in Research” (Member, 2013-2015)
- Experts Meeting for Promotion of Fair Research Activities (Member, 2015-present)
Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications
- Study Group for Development of System Ensuring Proper Information Distribution (Member, 2001)
- Conference related to Privacy Information in the Telecommunications Industry (Member, 2003-2004)
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
- Central Committee for Adjustment of Construction Work Disputes (Special Member, 2009-present)
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
- Experts Meeting for Promotion of Fair Research Activities (Member, 2022-2023)
Ministry of Trade and Industry (now Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry)
- Bankruptcy Law System Study Group (Member, 1998-1999)
- Corporate Law Study Group regarding Economical Activities and Judicial System (Member, 2000)
- Study Group regarding Way of Being of Bankruptcy Systems in 21st Century (Member, 2000-2001)
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
- Industrial Structure Council (Temporary Member, 2001-2003, 2004-)
- Business Restructuring Subcommittee (Member, 2004-)
Fair Trade Commission
- Study Group regarding Trial Proceedings (Member, 1998-1999)
- Study Group regarding Group Lawsuit Systems (Member, 2007)
Japan Patent Office
- Industrial Property Rights Council Subcommittee regarding Intellectual Property Expert Service (Member, 1999-2000)
Consumer Affairs Agency
- Study Group regarding Collective Consumer Damage Relief System (Chairman, 2009-2010
Consumer Commission
- Expert Research Group regarding Collective Consumer Damage Relief System (Deputy Chair, 2010-2011)
National Police Agency
- Experts Meeting for Prevention of Wrongful Acts by Members of Organized Crime Groups (Member, 2011-2012)
Comprehensive Research Organization for Small and Medium Enterprises (now The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency)
- Study Group for Studies related to Small and Medium Enterprise Transaction Issues (Member, 2000)
- DIP Finance Study Group (Member, 2000-2001)
- Study Meeting for Development of Arbitrators List for Small and Medium Enterprise ADR (Member, 2002)
Japan Federation of Bar Associations
- International Arbitration Liaison Council (Member, 2000-2008)
Publications
- “Technology, the Global Economy and other New Challenges for Civil Justice“ (Intersentia Ltd, 2021)
Articles
- “Roles of Judges and Attorneys Under the Non-Sanction Scheme in Japanese Civil Procedure” 27-1 Hastings International and Comparative Law Review 31 (2003)
- “Comment: Experiences from the Legal Assistance Project to Draft a Cambodian Code of Civil Procedure” Masahisa Deguchi & Marcel Storme The Reception and Transmission of Civil Procedural Law in the Global Society (Maklu, 2007)
- “The Newly Created Consumer Organization Action in Japan“ Doing Business in Japan (2007)
- “Investment Treaties and Investor-State Arbitration: The Japanese Perspective” Vol.19 No.2 The American Review of International Arbitration (2009)
- “Establishment of the Japanese Version Class Action” Universidade de São Paulo（Brazil）March 13, 2014
- “System for Protection of Third-Party Rights under the Japanese Code of Civil Procedure” Northeast Asia Association of the Code of Civil Procedure（China）November 29, 2014
- “Issues in Revising the Evidence Collection System under the Japanese Code of Civil Procedure” Northeast Asia Association of the Code of Civil Procedure（Republic of Korea）October 24, 2015
- “Overview and Issues of the Act on Special Provisions for Consumer Court Proceedings” Chungbuk National University（Republic of Korea）October 26, 2015
- “Current Status and Issues of the Legal Training System in Japan”Chungbuk National University（Republic of Korea）October 27, 2015
- “Issues in Revising the Evidence Collection System under the Japanese Code of Civil Procedure” Shanghai University of Finance and Economics（China）November 21, 2015
- “Intensive Court Hearings under the Japanese Code of Civil Procedure” Urae Code of Civil Procedure Salon（China）November 21, 2015
- “Adversarial System under the Japanese Code of Civil Procedure”Yunnan University of Finance and Economics（China）November 18, 2016
- “Situation of Civil Justice in Japan”Sichuan University（China）December 8, 2017
- “Structure and Outline of the Japanese Personal Status Litigation Act” Nanjing Normal University（China）June 22, 2018
- “Technical Advisors System in Japanese Civil Litigation”Judges Academy（Taiwan）November 9, 2018
- “Technical Advisors System in Japanese Civil Litigation” National Taiwan University（Taiwan）November 12, 2018
- “Is Modern Computer-Related Technology a Welcome Friend of Judicial Procedure or an Uninvited Troublemaker? ” International Association of Procedural Law(Kobe) November 2, 2019
- “What is Comparative Law? ”Peking University (Online) July 4, 2022
- “Several Issues with Computer Technologies in Court Proceedings” Peking University(Online) July 5, 2022
- “The Supreme Court and Its Precedents in Japan — Significance and Function of an American-Style Supreme Court in a Civil Law Country” Peking University= Shanghai Jiao Tong University＝Zhejiang University（China）March 31, 2024