Much has changed in Japanese law since 1996 when the First Edition of Comparative Law: Law and the Legal Process in Japan was published, and much is still changing. During the economic slump of the 1990's, it became obvious to everyone in Japan that they needed to modernize and internationalize their society in order to recover the economic status they enjoyed in the 1980's and early 1990's. To do this, the Japanese government has turned to law as the principal tool of transformative social change. Authors Port and McAlinn critically analyze the law and the use of law to effect these changes. Relying on translated cases, statutes, and the Constitution, the Second Edition puts Japanese law in legal, historical, and cultural context.

This text is a comprehensive analysis of Japanese law and legal process that traces the question of the role of law through various areas including constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, corporate law, human rights, administrative law, civil litigation, antitrust, and labor law.

A teacher's manual is available.