International Activities


In February 2016, the JFBA established its “Mission Statement on International Affairs” and has engaged in various international activities to realize the fundamental purposes under the Mission Statement.

[1] International Exchange Activities


As interactions with legal professionals in different countries increase, the JFBA has engaged in information exchanges and interactions with such legal professionals, as well as introducing the Japanese judicial and attorney systems and conducting surveys and research on the judicial systems and developments in legal professions in different countries.


The international exchange activities by the JFBA include: attending the meetings of international organizations such as the International Bar Association (IBA), the Law Association for Asia and the Pacific (LAWASIA), and the Presidents of Law Associations in Asia (POLA); organizing the meetings of the Japan-Korea Bar Leaders Conference with the Korean Bar Association (KBA), the Three Bar Meeting with the All China Lawyers Association (ACLA), and the Council of Bars and Law Societies of Europe (CCBE); and exchanging opinions and signing memoranda with bar associations from around the world.


Additionally, the JFBA has proactively engaged in international legal support activities for Cambodia, Vietnam, Mongolia, and other countries, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, and others.


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】Chapter 3 International Activities of the JFBA (PDF File;102KB)

[2] Activities Relating to International Human Rights


As major human rights treaties such as the International Covenants on Human Rights have been ratified and come into effect in Japan, and international exchanges of legal professionals and overseas research activities become increasingly active, the international human rights activities of the JFBA have become wide-ranging and their importance is rising. In 1999, the JFBA was accredited with special consultative status by the UN Economic and Social Council.


The JFBA is also conducting the following activities: research and studies concerning overseas human rights issues; dealing with the reviews conducted by the UN Human Rights Council and other human rights treaty bodies; introducing an individual complaint mechanism through which victims of human rights violations may request the human right treaty bodies to conduct examinations; and information exchanges, communications, and coordination among the relevant committees, and other activities.


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】3.1. International Human Rights Activities (PDF File;184KB)

[3] International Cooperation


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】3.2. International Cooperation (PDF File;188KB)

[4] International Exchange Activities


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】3.3. International Exchange Activities (PDF File;81KB)

[5] Overseas Study Program


The JFBA has a program to recommend and dispatch members of the JFBA who are engaging in public-interest activities in the areas of the rule of law, access to justice, human rights protection, international cooperation, or international contributions, to various law schools as visiting scholars or students of LL.M. courses. Many of the members dispatched through this program have contributed to the internationalization of public-interest activities of the JFBA, by actively serving in international fields utilizing their overseas experience and communicating and transmitting their knowledge and information to other members.


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】3.4. Overseas Visiting Fellow Program (PDF File;36KB)

[6] Support for Career Development in International Public Service


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】3.5 Support for Career Development in International Public Service (PDF File;82KB)

[7] Promotion of International Practices


Together with related agencies and organizations, the JFBA has engaged in a broad range of comprehensive programs to promote international services, such as supporting overseas business deployment of small and medium companies, expanding legal and other support for Japanese citizens overseas and foreign citizens living in Japan, promoting international arbitration, support for working in international organizations, and fostering human resources working in these areas.


【White Paper on Attorneys 2018】3.6 Promotion of International Practice by Attorneys (PDF File;136KB)

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