A Study on the Paraphrase of Basic Legal Terms of the Japanese Civil Code for Lay People

• Project/Area Number: 15K03087
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Fundamental law
• Research Institution: Takasaki City University of Economics
• Principal Investigator: Okawara Mami 高崎経済大学, 地域政策学部, 教授 (40233051)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 西口 元 早稲田大学, 法学学術院(法務研究科・法務教育研究センター), 教授(任期付) (60708759)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Project Status: Completed (Fiscal Year 2017)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,420,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,020,000); Fiscal Year 2017: ¥1,690,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,300,000、Indirect Cost: ¥390,000); Fiscal Year 2016: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2015: ¥1,300,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,000,000、Indirect Cost: ¥300,000)
• Keywords: 言換え / 法律用語 / 民法 / 計量分析 / 民法用語 / 民事重要法律用語 / 市民の理解度調査 / 解説集

Outline of Final Research Achievements

The aim of the research is to make a glossary of key terms used in the Japanese Civil Code. First, we selected sixteen words which illustrate the basic concept of the civil code from the technical terms of the Japanese civil code: legal fact; legal requirement; legal effect; legal capacity to hold rights; mental capacity; legal capacity to act; real property; movables; claim; manifestation of intention; juridical act; unlawful act; default; nullity; rescission; revocation.
We then conducted quantitative content analysis and quantitative text analysis of recorded interviews with 65 lay subjects about the sixteen words. We compared the data of lay recorded interviews and the legal definition of the sixteen words. We observed the discrepancy of understanding of the words between lay and legal experts. We then paraphrased the legal terms with a story line of an ordinary transaction of a car purchase.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] 民法重要法律用語の言換え (2018)
  • Author(s): 大河原眞美 西口元
  • Journal Title: 地域政策研究 Volume: 20 Pages: 107-113
• [Journal Article] ことばの障壁から考える法律用語 (2017)
  • Author(s): 大河原眞美
  • Journal Title: 宮澤節生先生古希記念論文集 現代日本の法過程 上・下巻 Volume: 下巻 Pages: 1-10
• [Journal Article] 民事訴訟実務からみる中間試案 (2017)
  • Author(s): 西口元
  • Journal Title: 市民と法 Volume: 104 Pages: 61-69
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] 医療事故調査制度の現状と展望ー民事訴訟法の観点から (2017)
  • Author(s): 西口元
  • Journal Title: 上野泰男先生古希祝賀論文集 現代民事手続きの法理 Volume: １ Pages: 270-285
• [Journal Article] ①Paraphrases of Legal Terminology Based on Lay Perception (2016)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara
  • Journal Title: Comparative Legilinguistics : International Journal for Legal Communication Volume: 24 Pages: 7-17
  • Peer Reviewed / Open Access / Int'l Joint Research
• [Journal Article] 市民の理解度を踏まえた法律用語の解説に関する研究―辞書記載比較―（前編） (2016)
  • Author(s): 大河原眞美、金光寛之
  • Journal Title: 地域政策研究 Volume: 18 Pages: 1-18
  • NAID: 110010007188
  • Open Access
• [Journal Article] 市民の理解度を踏まえた法律用語の解説に関する研究―辞書記載比較―（後編） (2016)
  • Author(s): 大河原眞美、金光寛之
  • Journal Title: 地域政策研究 Volume: 18 Pages: 1-16
  • Open Access
• [Journal Article] 市民に分かりやすい刑事裁判に関する研究 (2016)
  • Author(s): 大河原眞美、大橋哲雄、西口元
  • Journal Title: 法と実務 Volume: 12 Pages: 427-520
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] 民事訴訟法の観点からみた民法改正 (2017)
  • Author(s): 西口元
  • Organizer: 国立山東大学法学院
  • Place of Presentation: 国立山東大学法学院（中国）
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-28
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 日本の民法総則 (2017)
  • Author(s): 西口元
  • Organizer: 国立ホーチミン市法科大学
  • Place of Presentation: 国立ホーチミン市法科大学（ベトナム）
  • Year and Date: 2017-03-15
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Paraphrase of Sixteen Legal Terms from the Japanese Civil Code (2017)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara & Hajime Nishiguchi
  • Organizer: 2017 Asian Law and Society Annual Conference
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 法のことばを考える (2017)
  • Author(s): 大河原眞美 西口元
  • Organizer: 法と言語学会
• [Presentation] Japanese Authorship Analysis Studies (2017)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara
  • Organizer: Relaunch Conference 2017 of International Language and Law Association
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Simplification of Basic Legal Terms of Japanese Civil Code (2017)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara
  • Organizer: 13th Biennial Conference of International Association of Forensic Linguists
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Lay Perception versus Legal Reasoning (2016)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara
  • Organizer: Clarity 2016: an international association promoting plain legal language
  • Place of Presentation: Amora Hotel Wellington (New Zealand)
  • Year and Date: 2016-11-03
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Lay Perception of 16 Basic Legal Terms of Japanese Civil Code (2016)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara & Hajime Nishiguchi
  • Organizer: The Inaugural Asian Law & Society Association Conference
  • Place of Presentation: National University of Singapre (Singapore)
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-22
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] 日本の医療事故調査制度の現状と課題 (2016)
  • Author(s): 西口元
  • Organizer: 国立台湾大学法律学院
  • Place of Presentation: 国立台湾大学法律学院（台湾）
  • Year and Date: 2016-09-16
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Lay perception of basic legal terms of Japanese civil code (2016)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara
  • Organizer: The 2nd Asian Regional Conference of Forensic Linguistｓ
  • Place of Presentation: University of Santo Tomas (Manila, Phillipines)
  • Year and Date: 2016-07-07
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] ②Two Approaches to Simplifying Japanese Civil Law Terminology (2015)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara
  • Organizer: The 4th East Asian Law & Society Conference
  • Place of Presentation: 早稲田大学
  • Year and Date: 2015-08-03
  • Int'l Joint Research
• [Presentation] Simplifying Japanese Civil Law Terminology (2015)
  • Author(s): Mami Hiraike Okawara & Hajime Nishiguchi
  • Organizer: The Tenth Conference on Legal Translation, Court Interpreting and Comparative Legilinguistics
  • Place of Presentation: アダム・ミツキッビチ大学(ポーランド）
  • Year and Date: 2015-06-26
  • Int'l Joint Research / Invited
• [Book] International Perspectives on Translation, Education and Innovation in Japanese and Korean Studies (Chap 3: The Interdisciplinary Study of Law and Language in Japan) (2018)
  • Author(s): David G. Hebert ed. ( Mami Hiraike Okawara)
  • Total Pages: 347
  • Publisher: Springer
  • ISBN: 9783319684321
• [Book] 宮澤節生先生古希記念 現代日本の法過程 下巻 （ことばの障壁から考える法律用語） (2017)
  • Author(s): 上石圭一他編（大河原眞美）
  • Total Pages: 832
  • Publisher: 信山社
  • ISBN: 9784797282122
• [Book] 離婚をむぐる親権・監護権の実務 (2016)
  • Author(s): 西口元・近藤ルミ子
  • Total Pages: 264
  • Publisher: 学陽書房