The judge is the holder of a state office in the rule of law. At the same time s/he is an individual with opinions, convictions and preferences. When the judge speaks, it may not always be clear to the outside world who is talking: the state or the individual. An opinion expressed by a judge may also rub off on the judicial office and, vice versa, the power and authority of the judicial office may reflect on the judge’s opinions, giving them special weight. It makes the judge’s speech int...

The book outlines a dramatic history of the failed liberalization of Japanese private law during the Meiji era. Once Japan overthrew the shogunate and fully opened up to contact with the world, modernization of the backward country and its fragmented customary legal system became a crucial objective of the new ruling elites. The initiated codification of law included the drafting of the first Civil Code, designed to revolutionize the traditional societal ties in Japan. The legal project, seem...