Supreme Court of Japan Associate Justice at the Hawaii Supreme Court
Posted on Jun 2, 2022 in Featured News, News & Reports
Associate Justice Katsuya Uga of the Supreme Court of Japan (center) met remotely with Hawaii Supreme Court justices and associates of the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law on May 3, 2022. Left to right: Hawaii State Bar Association International Law Section representative Rex Fujichaku; Pacific-Asian Legal Studies Program Director Mark Levin; Consul Aya Kamakura; Associate Justice Todd W. Eddins; Chief Justice Mark E. Recktenwald; Associate Justice Sabrina S. McKenna; William S. Richardson School of Law Dean Camille Nelson; Consul General Yutaka Aoki of the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu; and Associate Justice Michael D. Wilson.
On May 3, the Hawaii Supreme Court hosted a special presentation featuring the Honorable Katsuya Uga, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan. The event was part of the court’s ongoing partnership with the University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law Jurist-in-Residence Program, which provides unique opportunities for law school students and faculty to engage with judges from around the world.
Justice Uga, the program’s 2022 Bright International Jurist-in-Residence, participated remotely from Japan as he met with Supreme Court justices and special guests for a question-and-answer session covering current events, legal education, and legal practices in Japan and Hawaii.
The public was invited to the Hawaii Supreme Court courtroom for Justice Uga’s presentation on the system of justice in Japan. University of Hawaii law students, members of the Hawaii State Bar Association, including members of its International Law Section, and court staff took advantage of this opportunity to enhance their understanding of Japan’s legal system.
Justice Katsuya Uga was appointed to the Supreme Court of Japan on March 20, 2019. He is a well-respected professor and researcher in administrative law at the University of Tokyo, with over 40 years of experience. Justice Uga has been a visiting researcher at leading educational institutions in the United States, including Harvard Law School, University of California, Berkeley, and Georgetown University Law Center. He has published extensively in the fields of administrative law, freedom of information, administrative procedure law, environmental law, often in comparative work referencing United States law. Justice Uga previously visited the Richardson School of Law in July 2002.
Since 2007, the law school has invited distinguished judges from abroad, hosting a series of events to enable University of Hawaii students and the community to exchange ideas with the world’s leading jurists. The jurists meet with faculty, students, judges, lawyers, and University officials, and give a public address. This year, the program took place with a Zoom hybrid format.