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

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• 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
• Keywords: 言換え / 法律用語 / 民法 / 計量分析

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.

Free Research Field

法言語学