International Arbitration in Japan

     The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is actively promoting international arbitration in Japan. Specifically, the MoJ has requested the Japan International Dispute Resolution Center (JIDRC) to work on various promotional projects such as holding seminars for potential users including entrepreneurs, and lawyers and opening a facility for international arbitration in Toranomon, Tokyo, in March 2020.
     Also, amendment to domestic laws to facilitate international arbitration in Japan is underway as follows,
     -  Act on Special Measures concerning the Handling of Legal Services by Foreign Lawyers Act was amended to expand the scope of “international arbitration cases” that can be represented by registered foreign lawyers and foreign lawyers, etc., in May 2020;
     - the Arbitration Act was  amended to harmonize with the latest UNCITRAL Model Law in April 2023.

     International arbitration is a legal process to settle a dispute not by resorting to a domestic court in individual State but by seeking an award to one or more independent arbitrator(s) chosen by the parties to the dispute. It is pointed out that international arbitration has various advantages, including:
     -Easiness of enforcing arbitration awards in foreign countries under the relevant conventions;
     -Undisclosed proceedings by which trade secrets are protected;
     -That the parties can select professional and neutral arbitrators for themselves; and
     -That it is avoidable to use domestic court trials in countries where reliability on the judicial process is not very high.

    As a place to proceed with international arbitration, Japan has great appeal in the following aspects:    
 - Japan has a Well-developed legal system for arbitration based on global standards; and   
- Japan is a safe and secure country with excellent tourist resources.

 Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO)

The ancillary meeting "The Rule of Law and International Arbitration / Mediation" was held at the Kyoto Congress (March 11, 2021).

Intellectual Property Arbitration Portal Site
The Japan International Dispute Resolution Center （JIDRC）
The Japan Commercial Arbitration Association （JCAA）
The Japan Intellectual Property Arbitration Center （JIPAC）
The International Arbitration Center in Tokyo （IACT）
The Japan Shipping Exchange