The ongoing process of globalization, which is not confined to the economic sphere, is calling for unification or harmonization of underlying legal systems. In Europe, the formation of a jus commune is already in progress beyond the realm of civil and commercial law, giving birth to the European Convention on Human Rights, the EU Directive on Sale of Consumer Goods and Guarantees and so on. The calls for East Asia to also follow this trend are becoming increasingly louder.

However, it is necessary to question the presumed universality of law and human rights and examine whether a certain measure of regionalism should be retained in this domain. Given the actual major differences in social realities, cultures and traditional laws between the East and West, as argued in the 1990s and onward by proponents of the Asian concept of human rights which draws a line from the Western concept, the possibility of an Asian concept of law, including an Asian way of dealing with human rights protection, merits serious study.

In the process of such studies, one should not overlook the important fact that China, Japan and Korea constitute a unique East Asian cultural zone in which ideograms of Chinese origin (kanji) are used. In adopting the Western legal system following the Meiji Restoration, Japan developed a legal terminology using kanji, which later greatly influenced similar enterprises by China and Korea. Naturally, there are many legal terms that are represented by identical ideograms but have different meanings in each of the three countries today, as a result of their respective historical background or subsequent development. Nevertheless, it is possible to envisage harmonization of the legal terminology of the three countries with the aid of a common legal database that can be built with the most advanced information technology, which in turn can accelerate the formation of a jus commune in East Asia.

On Mode I and II of the projects, we have focused on East Asia as explained above. Societies in East Asia, however, are now in a transitional period to new globalization ,and “an upgrading of globalization is required to enhance the centripetal force for international cooperation and solve global-scale issues.”(Japanese White Paper on Trade 2020 edition) Singapore is the gateway between Asia and the world and considered a microcosm of global society, and their English common law-based but uniquely evolved legal system varies from those of East Asia and wields a certain level of influence globally, especially in regards to economic activities. Their participation will greatly contribute to the project’s mission to address the new transition of globalization and expand the scope of the project beyond the boundaries of East Asia into the ASEAN region.

Japan and Korea have been actively providing assistance for legal infrastructural development in neighboring Asian countries that have been shifting to a new political system, such as Vietnam, Cambodia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan. Recently, China has joined this circle of collaboration. To ensure successful assistance for legal infrastructural development in those countries in transition, a deep understanding of their existing laws and legal cultures is essential. In this regard, in-depth joint studies by Japanese, Korean and Chinese researchers on the past and present developments of the law and politics of Asian countries are highly significant, and the transmission of their research achievements to future generations will be of great importance not only for the three countries but for Asia as a whole.

All the enterprises described above require a long period of time to come to fruition and refuse overnight solutions. It is therefore imperative that the necessary human resources be developed in various forms, including continued mutual student exchange among the four countries.

Accordingly, this Project concerns joint education in the Law and Social Science faculties of participating universities in Japan, Korea, China and Singapore to train future jurists, researchers, public servants (in international organizations or of national or regional government) and businesspersons capable of conducting professional activities in the four countries or the Asian region at large.