On June 3 and 4, 2025, the Graduate School of Law at Nagoya University had the honor of hosting Dr. Emeric Prévost from the University of Vienna (Austria) for an engaging two-day lecture series on contemporary issues of Private International Law (PIL).The first lecture, titled “Securing Transnational Transactions in Crypto-Assets: The Role and Challenges for Private International Law”, addressed the complex legal characterization of crypto-assets that defy traditional legal categories (e.g., property, currency, security, or commodity) and jurisdictional boundaries. Dr. Prévost highlighted how the absence of a physical situs and the decentralized nature of blockchain technology challenge foundational private international law principles, raising key questions around jurisdiction, applicable law, and cross-border enforcement.The second lecture, “Human Rights and Sustainability Corporate Due Diligence: Issues for the Private International Law Governance of Global Value Chains”, focused on the growing legal obligations of multinational corporations to respect human rights and environmental standards across borders. Dr. Prévost exemplified several court cases that helped the audience to better visualize how access to courts (often dismissed under forum non-convenience) and applicable law (default rules under Rome II Regulation, lack of harmonization) issues have emerged as a main concern to achieve justice in GVC-related litigations.Both lectures sparked lively academic discussions among the participants and drew attention to the urgent need for PIL to evolve in response to the global realities of digital finance and responsible business conduct.

On May 9 and 16, 2025, Nagoya University had the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Nicholas Gervassis (Assistant Professor in Law at School of Law, University of Nottingham) for a two-part special lecture series titled “Regulation and Governance of Digital Platforms.” The lectures attracted students, researchers, and faculty members keen to understand the evolving legal landscape of digital technologies.In the first session, “From Information Society to Digital Economy,” Dr. Gervassis provided a historical overview of how digital infrastructure, cloud computing, and platform convergence have reshaped our society. He explored the legal implications of this transformation, focusing on how states and institutions have moved from early internet freedom ideals to more structured models of governance, such as co-regulation and cyber-paternalism.The second session, “Latest Legal Developments,” delved into key regulations including the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the AI Act. Dr. Gervassis discussed issues such as intermediary liability, copyright in the digital single market, algorithmic governance and cybersecurity. He emphasized the EU’s growing influence in setting global standards—a phenomenon known as the “Brussels Effect.”The series offered a rich, comparative perspective on how law can keep pace with the digital transformation. It underscored the importance of designing legal frameworks that uphold fairness, transparency, and democratic accountability in a rapidly changing world.Following his lecture series, Dr. Nicholas Gervassis will lead a workshop, titled “Regulation of Digital Platforms and of Cross-border Data Transfers: A Research Project in Development,” at Nagoya University on  May 21, 2025.This special lecture series are part of the “Lawyer Training Program for Globalization,” funded by a donation from the Shinnippon-Hoki Foundation.

Congratulations to Kok Bin Lok (Campus Asia), Maxim Pak (G30 Law), Murvin Shee How Sim (Campus Asia), Said-Islom-Bek Khakimov (LLM), Shuren Otgonjargal (G30 Law) and Thanh Thao Do (G30 Law) for emerging as the runners-up of the 18th Vis Moot Japan!The 18th Vis Moot Japan is a preparatory moot for the Vis Moot, which is the world’s preeminent moot competition focusing on international commercial arbitration. This year, the competition welcomed a record number of 13 teams representing Japan, Singapore, China, and Brazil. The Nagoya University team achieved the best result among the Japanese universities, finishing as the runner-up in the competition. After taking part in the preparatory competition, the team represented Nagoya University at the 22nd Willem C. Vis East International Commercial Arbitration Moot in Hong Kong. The competition saw participation from more than 150 teams from universities across the world.The team gained invaluable experience and demonstrated excellent presentation skills.The team would like to thank Prof. Carapeto and Prof. Yokomizo for their constant and generous support. The team also expresses their gratitude to their coaches, Dmytro Izotov (LLM) and Nguyen Quang Anh (PhD), for their guidance and invaluable advice.This activity is financially supported by the Shinnippon-Hoki Foundation.

On March 19, 2025, Nagoya University hosted a special lecture by Professor Vassilis Hatzopoulos (Panteion University, Athens, Greece) on the topic "The EU as a Source of Global Standards in Regulating Platforms: The Example of the Digital Services Act and the Digital Markets Act." The event was held in a hybrid format, allowing both in-person and online participation.Professor Hatzopoulos examined how the EU has emerged as a global leader in digital regulation, focusing on the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). He discussed how these laws aim to govern online platforms, protect fundamental rights, and ensure fair competition in digital markets.Key topics included:• The EU’s legislative process and its role in setting digital standards.• The Brussels Effect—how EU regulations influence global markets.• The DSA’s impact on online platforms and content moderation.• The DMA’s approach to regulating "gatekeepers" like Big Tech companies.• Reactions from major tech firms and the regulatory challenges ahead.During the Q&A session, participants raised critical questions about the extraterritorial impact of EU regulations and their effect on U.S. tech giants. Professor Hatzopoulos explained that while most affected firms are American, the EU’s main goal is ensuring fair competition and protecting fundamental rights.The lecture, financially supported by the Shinnippon-Hoki Foundation, attracted students, scholars, and legal professionals, fostering a lively discussion on the future of digital governance. 

On February 20, 2025, Nagoya University hosted a special lecture titled “Environmental Liability between East and West.” The event featured Prof. Barbara Pozzo (University of Insubria, President of the Italian Society for Comparative Law Research) as the main speaker, with Prof. In Hwan Ko (University of Nevada, Reno) as the discussant.The lecture provided a comparative analysis of environmental liability frameworks in the U.S., Europe, China, and India, focusing on key legal instruments such as:CERCLA (1980) in the U.S., which introduced absolute liability and cost recovery mechanisms.The EU Environmental Liability Directive (2004/35), shaped by fragmented national approaches.China’s evolving environmental liability regime, which incorporated elements of German law and featured a no-fault liability system.India’s environmental liability framework, which blended common law principles, constitutional rights, and public interest litigation.Key discussion points included:How different legal systems defined environmental harm and assessed damages.The role of courts and NGOs in enforcing environmental responsibility.Causal linkage challenges and how specialized environmental courts addressed them.The effectiveness of legal transplants and harmonization efforts in environmental law.The lecture, financially supported by the Shinnippon-Hoki Foundation, attracted students, scholars, and practitioners interested in environmental law, comparative law, and sustainability. 

On February 19, Nagoya University Graduate School of Law hosted the conference “Climate Change and Clean Energy: Challenges and Solutions.” After the welcome and opening remarks by Prof. Dai Yokomizo (Nagoya University), the conference began with a keynote speech by Prof. Barbara Pozzo (University of Insubria, President of the Italian Society for Comparative Law Research) on “Climate Change Litigation in a Comparative Law Perspective”. Her insights provided a broad analysis of climate-related disputes across different legal systems, including US and European countries.The morning continued with an individual session, in which Ph.D. candidates and graduates presented their research on diverse topics: Dr. Mana Takahashi (Kanda University of International Studies) examined human rights and future development in Small Island Developing States, focusing on Niue; Masako Nagoshi (Kyoto University) discussed the extraterritorial application and enforcement of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) and its impact on international relations; Selim Becirbegovic (Nagoya University) explored stability mechanisms of dominant parties in both democratic and competitive authoritarian regimes.In the afternoon, graduate students of Nagoya University presented the results of their joint research on “Accelerating Uzbekistan’s Transition to Clean Energy: Policy, Progress, and Proposals”. A team of researchers, including Davronbek Ubaydullaev, Selim Becirbegovic, Khasanboy Rakhimberganov, Tran Thi Thu Hang, and Dmytro Izotov, presented their findings on policies, progress, and proposals for accelerating the country’s clean energy initiatives.The final keynote speech was delivered by Dr. In Hwan Ko (University of Nevada, Reno) on “A ‘Glocal’ Butterfly Effect? Sources of Local Renewable Energy Opposition and Its Impacts on National Climate Change Policy,” offering a thought-provoking discussion on the local-global dynamics of energy transitions.The event concluded with closing remarks by Prof. David Green (Nagoya University).The conference, supported by the Shinnippon-Hoki Foundation, reaffirmed Nagoya University’s commitment to interdisciplinary research on climate change and energy law, fostering meaningful discussions among legal scholars, policymakers, and researchers.