Project Members

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, Graduate School of Law, 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.

Ludwig Bull Visiting Researcher, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University　(CourtCorrect)

Ludwig Bull is the CEO & Founder of CourtCorrect – the online legal system. Ludwig read law at Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge, before launching CourtCorrect within a year of his graduation. CourtCorrect is building a platform that brings together consumers and large businesses to resolve disputes effectively using AI and has raised over £2m in VC funding. Ludwig is also a Lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration in Zurich and a Visiting Researcher at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo.

Ryutaro Ohara 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 currently enrolled in Master of Laws (LLM) in Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at Cornell Tech. 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, Graduate School of Law, 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）

Keisuke Takeshita Professor, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University

Keisuke Takeshita is a professor of private international law at Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University in Japan. He was the first delegate of Japan at the 22nd Diplomatic Session of HCCH. Currently, he is the Chair of the Working Group of the HCCH Jurisdiction Project. He has engaged in many legislative projects concerning private international law in Japan. He was working at the Ministry of Justice as a senior researcher for the modernization of the Japanese choice of law rules. He was also an associate member of various subcommittees of the Legislative Council, including those on jurisdiction (family law matters), the revision of the Code of Civil Procedure (Use of IT), and the revision of the Arbitration Act.

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.