Our Team

Mihoko Sumida Professor, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study

Mihoko Sumida is a Professor of Civil Law at Hitotsubashi University, Hitotsubashi Institute of Advanced Studies(HIAS). She researches private law theories that support the redress of the rights of consumers and citizens, whose disadvantage tends to be concentrated due to changes in the economy and society. In recent years, she explors the legal challenges posed by innovative technologies such as AI and the potential of AI-based legal research. A related book is “Legal Innovation”(Kobundo, 2022), co-edited with Felix Steffek. Area Editor of the international journal, “Data & Policy” (Cambridge University Press).

Yuya Ishihara Assistant Professor, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study, Hitotsubashi University / Xspear Consulting, Inc. Senior Manager

Yuya Ishihara is a project lecturer at Hitotsubashi University and a technological consultant at Xspear Consulting, Inc. After graduating master’s degree from Graduate School of Information Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, he worked as a quantitative trader and then as a machine learning engineer at a venture company. Currently he is researching Law and AI field and interested in how the justice will be affected by technology.

Ryutaro Ohara HIAS Visiting Researcher ／ Attorney, Nakamura, Tsunoda & Matsumoto

Ryutaro Ohara is an attorney at Nakamura, Tsunoda & Matsumoto, Japan. He represents companies in litigations or disputes on corporate law, contracts and other business-related matters. He also advises clients on Mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring.
His work includes the representation of Software development companies, the advises on contract negotiations for AI development and data licensing agreements. He is recently interested in the impact of the use of AI on the behavior of people and businesses. He is participating in the projects as a visiting scholar at Hitotsubashi University.

Keyaki Atsushi Associate Professor, Graduate School of Social Data Science, Hitotsubashi University

He is currently an associate professor at the Graduate School of Social Data Science, Hitotsubashi University. He received his Ph.D. degree in Engineering from the Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST) in 2014. Before joining Hitotsubashi University, he served as an assistant professor at the School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology and an associate researcher at Denso IT Laboratory, Inc. His research interests include information retrieval and natural language processing.

Kazuhiko Yamamoto Professor Emeritus, Hitotsubashi University

Graduated from the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law (1984). Professor of Law at the Graduate Schools for Law of the University of Hitotsubashi since 2002. His main areas of research are law of civil procedure, insolvency law, civil execution law, arbitration and ADR. He has been involved in recent reform for digitization of court proceedings and reform of the arbitration Act for promotion of ODR. Recent publication in Japanese: “Reform for digitization of Civil Procedure” (Koubundou, 2023),and publications in English :“Special Proceedings for the Collective Redress for Property Damage incurred by Consumers – About So-Called “ Japanese Class Action”(in Japanese Yearbook of International Law No.61, 2019）,“The ADR Act ―Purpose, Actual Situation and Future” (in Japan Commercial Arbitration Journal No.1, 2020）

Yuichi Washida Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University

His specialties are marketing and innovation research. Graduated from Hitotsubashi University School of Commerce in 1991. He joined Hakuhodo Inc. and engaged in consumer research and technology dissemination research at the Marketing Department, Lifestyle Research Institute, and Innovation Lab. In 2003, he studied abroad at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 2008, he completed the doctoral program at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Doctor of Science). In 2011, he became an associate professor at the Graduate School of Commerce, Hitotsubashi University. Incumbent since 2015.

Mikiharu Noma Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University

He graduated from Hitotsubashi University, Faculty of Commerce, and completed the doctoral course at Hitotsubashi University (Ph.D. in Commerce).
After working as a full-time lecturer at Yokohama City University since 2002, he became an associate professor at the Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University in October 2004. After serving as an associate professor at Hitotsubashi University, he is currently a professor at the Graduate School of Business, Hitotsubashi University.
“Unfunded Pension Liability and Corporate Behavior” (Chuokeizai, Inc., 2020), the Nikkei Economic Book Culture Award, the Ota-Kurosawa Award of the Japanese Accounting Research Association, the International Accounting Research Association.
From 2010 to 2011, he was a research fellow at Columbia University’s School of Business, Fullbride Research Institute.

Wataru Uehara Associate Professor, Graduate School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University

Wataru Uehara is an associate professor of marketing at the School of Business Administration, Hitotsubashi University. He received his PhD in Commerce and Management from Hitotsubashi University in 2008. His research interests include consumer behaviour, marketing management, global marketing, and tourism. He has published in several academic journals, including the International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, International Journal of Marketing & Distribution, Journal of Marketing Science, Tourism: International Interdisciplinary Journal, and Annals of Tourism Research Empirical Insights.

David Socol de la Osa Assistant Professor, Hitotsubashi Institute for Advanced Study

David U. Socol de la Osa is a Assistant Professor at Legal Innovation Research Unit at Hitotsubashi Institute of Advance Studies(HiAS) at Hitotsubashi University. David’s research specializes on the ways regulatory systems and corporate law impact our societies and economies, with special focus on disruptive technology, AI, and sociolegal network design. With projects open on a diverse range of technology industries and disciplines such as venture capital, cellular agriculture, renewable energy, and international cooperation, David draws on his experience as a practicing lawyer in international law firms and supra-national institutions to ensure legal design is effective, and optimizes the way our societies interact.

Simon Deakin University of Cambridge, Director of Business Research Center, Professor, Faculty of Law

Simon Deakin is professor of law and director of the Centre for Business Research at the University of Cambridge. He specialises in labour law and private law, and conducts research in the fields of empirical legal studies and the economics of law. He is currently exploring the implications of machine learning for law. His books include Is Law Computable? Critical Perspectives on Law and Artificial Intelligence (ed. with Chris Markou, Hart, 2021).

Felix Steffek Professor, University of Cambridge, Faculty of Law

Felix Steffek is Professor of Law at the University of Cambridge, Director of Studies at Newnham College and Global Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Notre Dame. At Cambridge, he serves as Director of the Centre for Corporate and Commercial Law (3CL) and Director of International Strategy and Partnerships. He has been awarded a JM Keynes Fellowship in Financial Economics by the University of Cambridge. He has advised the World Bank, the EBRD, the OECD, UNIDROIT, the Financial Stability Board, the European Commission, the European Parliament as well as national governments, parliaments and courts.

For further information, please see https://www.law.cam.ac.uk/people/academic/f-steffek/6136.

Takashi Araki Professor Emeritus, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, University of Tokyo

Takashi Araki graduated from the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law in 1983, received his master’s degree (1985) and doctoral degree (1992) from the University of Tokyo, Graduate Schools for Law and Politics. He became a research associate in 1985, an associate professor in 1988, and a professor in 2001 at the University of Tokyo. He has served as Chairman of the Working Conditions Subcommittee of the Labor Policy Council of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Chairman of the Tokyo Labor Relations Commission, Vice Chairman of the Central Labor Relations Commission, Vice President of the International Society for Labor and Social Security Law. He is author of a number of books, including “The Legal Structure of Working Time” (1991), “The Employment System and the Law of Changing Working Conditions” (2001), “Labor and Employment Law in Japan” (2002), “Multinational Human Resource Management and the Law (co-author, 2013), Labor Law (5th ed.) (2022).

Hideyuki Morito Professor, Keio University Law School

1988 – Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo (LL.B.).
After serving as a research associate at the University of Tokyo Faculty of Law, associate professor at Seikei University Faculty of Law, professor at Sophia University Faculty of Law, etc., currently serving as a professor at Keio University Law School. Specializes in Labor and Employment Law, Social Security Law, and Corporate Pensions.

Chikako Kanki Professor, Graduate Schools of Law and Politics, University of Tokyo

Chikako KANKI is Professor at the Graduate Schools of Law and Politics, the University of Tokyo. In 2010, she earned her Ph.D. from the University of Tokyo. She was formerly Associate Professor at Rikkyo University. Her field of study is labour & employment law, with special focus on issues such as: minimum wage regulation; fair treatment of non-regular employees; and the development of legislation and legal theory regarding the UK labour market from a comparative legal perspective. Her recent related article is ‘Changes in Work Styles and Labor-Management Relations due to Technological Innovation’ Yuhikaku Online, 2023.

Tokunaga Takenobu Professor, School of Computing, Institute of Science Tokyo

Tokunaga Takenobu is a professor at School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology. He received his PhD degree from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1991. His current research interests include natural language processing, particularly building and managing language resources, discourse analysis, dialogue systems, and applications of language technologies to intelligent information access and education.

Hiroaki Yamada Assistant Professor, Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Institute of Science Tokyo

Hiroaki Yamada is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science, School of Computing, Tokyo Institute of Technology. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering from Tokyo Institute of Technology in 2021. He specializes in computational linguistics and natural language processing, with dedicated research focusing on their applications in the legal field. He is also a member of The Association for Natural Language Processing, the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL), and the International Association of Artificial Intelligence and Law (IAAIL).