Specialist Library for East Asian Law
Photo: FernUniversität Hagen
With its special collections on Japanese, Korean, and Taiwanese law, the specialist library for East Asian Law looks back on over 35 years of teaching and research at the FernUniversität in Hagen. In terms of its scope and public accessibility, the collection is unique within Europe.
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The systematic development of the collection began with a specialist library for Japanese law, which gathered standard works in Japanese, literature in Western languages, and digital publications. Thanks to third-party funding and donations in kind secured by Prof Hans-Peter Marutschke since the 1990s, as well as the work of librarian Tomoko Sekioka, an extraordinary collection on Japanese law was assembled and catalogued across five rooms in the Villa Bechem in Hagen. This was made possible through:
Foto: FernUniversität HagenVilla Bechem, former location of the Japanese Law Library (2024)
Foto: FernUniversität HagenLibrary of the Institute for Japanese Law in the Villa Bechem, on the right In-Ho Kim (2015)
- various foundations, including the Japan Foundation’s Library Support Program (国際交流基金) and a donation campaign led by Professors Mikazuki, Kawamoto, and Nakano among Japanese corporations.
- numerous book donations, notably from former DAAD and Humboldt scholars, as well as the former “Modern Japan” foundation library from the Chair of Civil Law, Commercial and Corporate Law at the University of Hanover.
- journal volumes, including contributions from the Chair of German and International Civil Procedure and Civil Law at the University of Cologne, and a complete set of Hanrei Times since 1950 on DVD, donated by the publisher of the same name (判例タイムズ社).
- the comprehensive jurisprudence collection from Dai’ichi Hōki (第一法規), valued at the time at DM 20,000.
- a selection of 64 books on Japanese politics, economy, and society acquired through the 2025 Read Japan Project.
Combined with the preliminary work on Korean law conducted under Johann In-Ho Kim, the foundations were laid for the further expansion of the specialist library to cover the entirety of East Asian law.
Regrettably, following a prolonged vacancy of the Professorship, the holdings were moved from the Villa Bechem and placed into the library’s basement stacks. Consequently, no significant new acquisitions were made between 2004 and 2020.
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Since Prof Weitzdörfer was appointed in 2020 and Prof Steinhauer took over the Hagen library management in 2021, the library has undergone extensive rework, and strategic new acquisitions have been made. Since then, the East Asian Law department team and the University Library have been working closely together to achieve three goals: 1) guaranteeing that physical material can be easily found through inventory and orderly listing, 2) ensuring academic utility through the filling of collection gaps and new acquisitions, and 3) providing digital searchability and the option of internal direct loan and external interlibrary loan through proper cataloguing.
Foto: FernUniversität HagenThe team of the department assorting the library stocks (2021)
Based on an already implemented acquisition strategy – thanks to a six-figure special library acquisition budget and the reinvestment of income from the continuing education programme as well as a book subscription concluded with the renowned publisher Yūhikaku (有斐閣) with the help of Prof Yasuhiro Okuda – all relevant gaps have been closed in a remarkably short time and new acquisitions have been secured for the future. By mid-2026, more than 1,100 new volumes had been acquired and around 6,100 had been re-catalogued. The library again secured the expertise of Natsuko Yamagishi for this task, assisted by team members Wataru Ono and Tracey Kimmeskamp.
The result is the most extensive freely available collection of Japanese law literature in Europe, with almost 8,000 volumes on approximately 153 metres of shelving (+ about 25 metres of basement stacks). (Similar collections at the Max Planck Institute and Goethe University Frankfurt (in Japanese and Western languages) are fragmented and not openly accessible, cannot be borrowed directly or via interlibrary loan, or are less extensive.) On-site access and loans are already possible without restriction at the FernUniversität in Hagen; interlibrary loans through 1,700 German libraries and all libraries participating in interlibrary loan worldwide are made possible by successive additions to the HBZ union catalogue.
In addition to Japanese law, strategic acquisitions on Korean law and Taiwanese law have been made successively since 2023, accompanying the establishment of continuing education programmes on Korean law and Taiwanese law. The acquisition of book donations – e.g., all issues of the Academia Sinica Law Journal by the Institutum Iurisprudenciae (中央研究院法律學研究所) – will contribute to further expansion of the stocks on Korea and Taiwan.
The collection thus makes an outstanding contribution, unique in Europe, to the promotion of legal relations between Germany and East Asia in both practice and academia, also serving as an intersection between law and regional studies.
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Photo: FernUniversität HagenNewly acquired Japanese-language books (2021)
Photo: Julius WeitzdörferJun-Prof Dr Weitzdörfer acquiring books in a law bookstore in Tōkyō (2024) The specialised library on East Asian law, which primarily consists of original literature, includes standard legal works and textbooks, collections of legislation and commentaries and of law reports, alongside a significant number of commemorative publications, conference proceedings and monographs. These are supplemented by selected regional works on politics, economics and society as well as (technical) dictionaries.
The book collection comprises:
- 4,479 books (approximately 52 shelf-metres) on Japanese law in the Alma library catalogue, of which about 20% are in Western languages and about 80% in Japanese;
- 2,721 books (approximately 90 shelf-metres) on Japanese law in the Japanese union catalogue CiNii, of which about 2% are in Western languages and about 98% in Japanese;
- 192 books (approximately 5 shelf-metres) on Korean law in the Alma library catalogue, about 97% of which are in Western languages and about 3% in Korean;
- 47 books (approximately 2 meters) on Taiwanese law in the Alma library catalogue, about 81% of which are in Western languages and about 17% in Chinese; and
- approx. 200 books on Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese law (not yet catalogued).
By the end of 2026, all 2,721 works and journals previously only catalogued in the general catalogue CiNii will also be catalogued in Alma.
The special collections on Japan, Korea and Taiwan are located at shelfmarks 203, 205 and 206, respectively; these shelfmarks are currently in the lower ground floor of Building B of the FernUniversität in Hagen’s University Library. Shelfmarks 166 and 204 also contain:
- 26 textbooks on the Japanese language (including here)
- 12 textbooks on the Korean language
- 11 textbooks on the Chinese language
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Between 2022 and 2026, all journals and law reports were reviewed, organised and provisionally inventoried; duplicates were removed, missing copies were purchased via antiquarian booksellers to fill gaps, and work began on binding and shelving the already complete volumes.
Photo: FernuniversitätDonated books and journals from Korea (2023) 
Photo: FernUniversitätDepartment team members cataloging the journal collection (2023) The journal collections on Japan include:
- 25 printed periodicals on Japan (bound, approximately 17 metres of shelving) in the Alma library catalogue, mainly with current collections
- approximately 60 printed periodicals on Japan (in single issues, approximately 25 metres in the library's stacks) in the Japanese union catalogue CiNii, mainly with old collections
With active subscriptions (starting from at least January 2022):
- Hanrei jihō (判例時報), Japanese: physical
- Hanrei taimuzu (判例タイムズ, Hanrei Times), Japanese: physical
- Hikaku-hō zasshi (比較法雑誌), Japanese: physical
- Hōrin – Vergleichende Studien zur japanischen Kultur (法輪), Japanese: physical and online
- Hōritsu jihō (法律時報), Japanese: physical
- Hōritsu ronsō (法律論叢), Japanese: physical
- Japanese Yearbook of International Law (JYIL), Western languages: physical
- Junkan shōji hōmu (旬刊商事法務), Japanese: physical
- Jurisuto (ジュリスト, Jurist), Japanese: physical
- Jurisuto bessatsu (ジュリスト別冊), Japanese: physical
- Kokusai shihō nenpō (国際私法年報, Japanese Yearbook of Private International Law, JYPIL), Japanese: physical
- Minshō-hō zasshi (民商法雑誌), Japanese: physical
- Shōji hōmu bessatsu NBL (商事法務別冊NBL), Japanese: physical
- Zeitschrift für Japanisches Recht / Journal of Japanese Law (ZJapanR/JJapanL), Western languages: physical and online
The Alma library catalogue lists the following older library stocks (other works are currently being added):
- Bibliography of Standard Reference Books for Japanese Studies with Descriptive Notes, 9. B, Law, Western languages, physical
- Himeji International Forum of Law and Politics, Western languages, physical
- Hōrei zensho (法令全書, Gesetzesblatt), Western languages, physical
- Mita hyōron (三田評論), Western languages, physical
- Securities Market in Japan, Western languages physical and online
Older library stocks – which are currently being supplemented – in the Japanese general catalogue CiNii include:
- Aoyama daigaku sōgō kenkyūjo hōgaku kenkyū sentā kenkyū sōsho (青山学院大学総合研究所法学研究センター研究叢書), Japanese: physical
- Bessatsu hanrei taimuzu (別冊判例タイムズ), Japanese: physical
- Bessatsu hōgaku seminā, shihō shiken shirīzu (別冊法学セミナー. 司法試験シリーズ, The Hōgaku Seminar Bessatsu), Japanese: physical
- Dōshisha daigaku wārudo waido bijinesu rebyū (同志社大学ワールドワイドビジネスレビュー, Dōshisha University World Wide Business Review), Japanese: physical
- Gaikō fōramu (外交フォーラム, Gaikō Forum), Japanese: physical
- Gekkan hōgaku kyōshitsu (月刊法学教室), Japanese: physical
- Global Asia: A Journal of the East Asia Foundation, Western languages: physical
- Hitotsubashi hōgaku (一橋法学, The Hitotsubashi Journal of Law and International Studies), Japanese: physical
- Hō-semi: Hōgaku seminā (法セミ: 法学セミナー, The Hōgaku Seminar), Japanese: physical
- Hōgaku kyōshitsu (法学教室), Japanese: physical
- Hōgaku seijigaku ronkyū: Hōritsu, seiji, shakai (法學政治學論究: 法律・政治・社会, Journal of Law and Political Studies), Japanese: physical
- Hōgaku seminā sōkan, jōshiki shirīzu (法学セミナー増刊,常識シリーズ), Japanese: physical
- Hōgaku seminā sōkan, seminā hōgaku zenshū (法学セミナー増刊,セミナー法学全集), Japanese: physical
- Hōgaku seminā sōkan, sōgō tokushū shirīzu (法学セミナー増刊,総合特集シリーズ), Japanese: physical
- ICCLP Annual Report, Western languages: physical
- ICCLP Publications, Western languages: physical
- ICCLP Review, Western languages: physical
- ICD News; Hōmu-shō hōmu sōgō kenkyūjo kokusai kyōryoku-bu-hō (法務省法務総合研究所国際協力部報, Law for Development), Japanese: physical
- Japan Review of International Affairs, Western languages: physical
- JSPS Quarterly, Western languages: physical
- Jurisuto, sōkan, hōritsu no sōten shirīzu (ジュリスト, 増刊, 法律学の争点シリーズ), Japanese: physical
- Jurisuto, sōkan, sōgō tokushū (ジュリスト, 増刊, 総合特集), Japanese: physical
- Keizai hōgakkai nenpō (経済法学会年報, The Annual of Economic Jurisprudence), Japanese: physical
- Kōbe hōgaku nenpō (神戸法学年報, Kōbe Annals of Law and Politics), Japanese: physical
- Nihon University Comparative Law, Western languages: physical
- Nomos (ノモス), Japanese: physical
- Progress in Informatics (PI), Western languages: physical
- Ritsumeikan Law Review, Western languages: physical
- Shakai hoshō-hō: Nihon shakai hoshō hōgaku kaishi (社会保障法:日本社会保障法学会誌, Journal of Social Security Law), Japanese: physical
- University of Tōkyō Journal of Law and Politics, Western languages: physical
- Waseda Bulletin of Comparative Law, Western languages: physical
- Waseda Proceedings of Comparative Law, Western languages: physical
The journal collection on Korea includes:
- Two periodicals on Korean law in the Alma library catalogue, ongoing subscription (from 2001 and from 2022)
- Journal of Korean Law (JKoreanL), English: physical and online from external source
- Korean Journal of International and Comparative Law (KJICL), English: online and online from external source
Additional periodical:
- Constitutional Court of Korea Annual Report, English: physical
The journal collection on Taiwan includes:
- Two printed periodicals on Taiwanese law in the Alma library catalogue, ongoing subscription (from 2007 and from 2025):
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- Asia Pacific Law Review, online external
- Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus, online external, open access
- Asian Journal of Comparative Law, online external, open access
- Asian Journal of Criminology, online external
- Asian Journal of Law and Economics, online external
- Asian Journal of Law and Society, online external, open access
- Asian Law Review, online external, open access
- Asian Politics & Policy Journal, online external
- Asian-Pacific Law & Policy Journal, online external, open access
- Australian Journal of Asian Law, online external
- Columbia Journal of Asian Law, online external, open access
- Comparative Law Review (比較法学, Hikaku hōgaku), online external, open access
- Contemporary Japan, online external
- European-Asian Journal of Law & Governance, online external, open access
- Hitotsubashi Journal of Law and Politics, online external, open access
- Japan Analysis, online external, open access
- Japan Forum, online external
- Japan Labor Issues (new name of the journal Japan Labor Review), online external, open access
- Japan Labor Review (2004-2017), online external, open access
- Japanese Journal of Sociological Criminology, online external, open access
- Japanese Studies, online external
- Jōhō hōsei kenkyū (情報法制研究, Journal of Law and Information System), online external, Japanese
- Keiō Law Review, online external
- Law and Economics Review (法と経済学研究, Hō to keizai-gaku kenkyū), online external, open access, Japanese
- Law in Japan : an annual, online external
- Nihon rōdō kenkyū zasshi (日本労働研究雑誌, The Japanese Journal of Labour Studies), online external, open access, Japanese
- Ōsaka University Law Review, online external, open access
- Pacific Basin Law Journal, online external, open access
- The Journal of Asian Studies, online external
- The Journal of Japanese Studies, online external
- Washington International Law Journal (new name of the Pacific Rim Law & Policy Journal), online external, open access
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Contents will follow shortly.
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Contents will follow shortly.
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Legal texts PDF Civil Code (Minpō), Property Law
(with special thanks to Prof Shiori Tamura)Link (VU) Civil Code, Family and Inheritance Law Link (PDF 308 KB) Code of Civil Procedure (Minso) Link (PDF 509 KB) Companies Act (Kaishahō) Link (PDF 2 MB) Labour Standards Act (Rōkihō) Link (PDF 233 KB) Administrative Procedure Act (Gyōtehō) Link (PDF 113 KB) Criminal Code (Keihō) Link (PDF 269 KB) Code of Criminal Procedure (Keiso) Link (PDF 419 KB) Corpora juris English Japanese Cabinet Secretariat 
Mika Nishimura, Associate Professor, Kōbe University Nagoya University (with dictionary) Ministry of the Environment (environmental law) Mizuho Bank (commercial law) World Legal Information Institute (database) Asian Legal Information Institute (database) Library of the National Diet (official database) e-Gov (database of national legal standards) Kagoshima University (database of local ordinances and statutes) Collected decisions English Japanese Supreme Court (database of judgements) Transparency of Japanese Law kanz.jp (RSS) List of currently popular rulings -
Contents will follow shortly.
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Japanese institutions German English Japanese Cabinet Secretariat (内閣官房, Naikaku kanbō) Dōshisha Law School (同志社大学法科大学院, Dōshisha daigaku hōka daigakuin, partnership since June 2024) House of Councillors (参議院, Sangi‘in) House of Representatives (衆議院, Shūgi‘in) Japan Federation of Bar Associations (日本弁護士連合会, Nihon bengoshi rengōkai) Japan National Notaries Association (日本公証人連合会, Nihon kōshōnin rengōkai) Judicial system in Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI, 経済産業省, Keizai sangyōshō) Ministry of Justice (法務省, Hōmushō) Prime Minister’s Office of Japan (首相官邸, Shushō kantei) Supreme Court of Japan (OGH, 最高裁判所, Saikō saibansho) State organisation chart The Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training (JILPT, 人労働政策研究・研修機構, Rōdō seisaku kenkyū kenshū kikō) The Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA, 日本国際問題研究所, Nihon kokusai mondai kenkyūjo) The Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI, 経済産業研究所, Keizai sangyō kenkyūjo) Bilateral institutions German English Japanese Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Japan 
Association of German-Japanese Societies (VDJG) Consulate General of Japan in Düsseldorf Embassy of Germany in Japan Embassy of Japan in Germany European Business Council (EBS) in Japan Foundation for the Promotion of Japanese-German Scientific and Cultural Relations (JaDe-Stiftung) German-Japanese Lawyers' Association (DJJV) German-Japanese Society for Labour Law (DJGA) German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan (DIHKJ) German Institute for Japanese Studies (DIJ) Japan Audit & Supervisory Board Members Association (JASBA) Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) Japanese-German Center Berlin (jdzb) Japanese-German Society, Tōkyō (JDG) Japanese-German Society for Labour Law (JDGA) Japanese Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Düsseldorf Kopra (Internship board) Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law The Australian Network for Japanese Law (ANJeL)
