Committees

The Japan Association of Arbitrators (JAA) primarily engages in activities through committees, which consist of Association members. If you wish to join a committee, please contact us via the form (» For inquiries), with your submission addressed to the Secretariat. Please be advised that some committees do not currently accept application from new members.

Please see the Member Notifications on our website for the planned activities of each committee.

Committee on Domestic Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Committee on Domestic Alternative Dispute Resolution plans and devises training courses and is in the planning stages for an accreditation system for mediators and arbitrators in alternative dispute resolution in Japan (with a focus on mediation) for domestic disputes.

In recent years, a set of training courses for mediators has been conducted to teach facilitative mediation. This included an Introductory Course, a Basic Skills Courseand a Supplemental Skills Course. The Committee is also looking into training in domestic arbitration and a system for accreditation of arbitrators and mediators.

Committee on International Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution

The Committee on International Arbitration and Alternative Dispute Resolution mainly plans and devises training courses to foster practitioners of international mediation and arbitration and is currently developing an accreditation system. Recently, the Committee has used videos of a past JAA seminar involving a mock international arbitration to create educational training materials for Members (PowerPoint decks for presentations, DVDs, and supplementary materials).

Research Committee

In order to research the Arbitration Act and other acts relevant to ADR and their implementation, the Research Committee usually conducts workshops for members once a month. At the workshops, participants attend lectures from Japanese and foreign researchers and practitioners who are well-versed in arbitration and ADR, and participants also have interactive discussion actively. In addition, the Committee publishes the “Arbitration and ADR Forum”, which summarizes discussions based on lectures given at workshops, and it seeks to advance the theory and practice of arbitration and ADR.

Committee on International Exchanges

The Committee on International Exchanges handles plans and events with foreign organizations involved in arbitration and ADR.

Committee on Investor-State Arbitration

This Committee engages in activities related to the arbitration of investment agreements and related international commercial arbitration. The Committee was commissioned by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry to prepare a report, and in March 2014 it submitted A Commissioned Report on an Examination and Analysis of the Designation of Arbitrators and Mediators based on Article 13 of the ICSID Convention. The detailed Report described arbitration of investment agreements as well as the current state of international commercial arbitration organizations in Asia (in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Seoul). In light of a comparison between those organizations and their Japanese counterparts, the Committee has noted the need to further promote commercial arbitration in Japan.

Based on that work and with general international commercial arbitration in mind, the Committee is looking into ways to use arbitration of investment agreements to educate the public.

Committee on International Family Mediation (International Family Law Project Team)

The Committee engages in activities related to the use of mediation to deal with international family problems. The Committee was commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to prepare a report, and in March 2015 it submitted A Commissioned Report on State Co-mediation between Relevant Parties in relation to the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. The Report focused on the UK, Germany, and the US as partnering countries. Through negotiations with mediation organizations in those countries (there is no specific mediation organization in the US, so the ABA was chosen), the Report proposed collaboration and creation of a system for state co-mediation.

In the future, partnering countries could be expanded and the proposal could transition to a more practical stage, e.g. a pilot project. The Committee is looking into collaboration with bar associations (which include JAA members and committee members) or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the central authority).

General Affairs and Finance Committee

The General Affairs Committee is responsible for planning and conducting major meetings of the JAA, such as meetings of the Board of Commissioners and General Meetings, and for facilitating communications and public affairs, such as editing the Association newsletter and managing the Association website.

The Finance Committee is responsible for drafting the Association’s budget, preparing financial statements, and handling all other matters related to the JAA’s finances.

Kansai Branch of the JAA

The Kansai Branch of the JAA includes members with an office, place of employment, or address in Kansai (2 major metropolitan areas and 4 prefectures) and other members seeking membership in that Branch. The Kansai Branch collaborates with government offices and dispute resolution organizations such as the Osaka Bar Association and the Osaka Office of the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association, and it conducts seminars and workshops on arbitration and ADR to develop and promote arbitration and ADR throughout Western Japan.

The Committee for Compliance with the Hague Convention on Child Abduction

This Committee seeks to effectively conduct international family mediation in cases involving the Hague Convention on Child Abduction. The Committee examines and researches international family mediation systems overseas, and it conducts seminars and practical training in mediation for members, people involved in mediation, and relevant parties primarily in Western Japan (in the jurisdiction of the Osaka Family Court).