This book is intended for those whose practice involves maritime transport, charterparties and bills of lading. It seeks to explain how the law works in reality. In practice, the law is reflected in judicial decisions.

The book therefore describes maritime law relating to charterparties and bills of lading on the basis of judgments. With regard to bills of lading, it concerns mainly Dutch judgments. Many Dutch judgments have been rendered in this field over time. In a few cases, attention is ...

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...