The Will in Private International Law of Japan

Abstract

eral," which is the private international law code of Japan, was promulgated on 21 June, 1898 as Law No. 10 and took effect on 16 July of the same year. With the exception of a few minor subsequent changes, it has continued down to the present day in its original form. This law was early translated into English by Dr. L~nholml and into German by Dr. Nierney~r,2 while it was given a brief introduction in French by Dr. Yamada3 and presented in book form in English by de Becker.4 In addition, there has recently appeared an English translation by the Attorney General's Office.5 This law, Iike the "German Private International Law in the Introductory' Law to the Civil Code ", was based on the Gebhard Draft and served as a model for the "Law concerning the Application of Laws in General " of China. As providing material for the study of comparative law, it has frequently been cited and criticized by European scholars, although not all of their observations seem to be justified. This paper aims at a brief introduction of the subject of will~ and hopes to provide material