Japan's First Business Court Opens In Tokyo
A court specializing in business-related cases has opened in Tokyo.
The Business Court, the first of its kind in Japan, was set up to handle increasingly international and complex conflicts between companies.
It encompasses the functions of the capital's Intellectual Property High Court and three divisions of the Tokyo District Court that handle cases including lawsuits filed by shareholders and bankruptcy procedures.
The five-story building in Tokyo's Meguro Ward has 18 courtrooms with large monitors for online civil trials.
The screens can be used to explain product technology in patent lawsuits, and possibly to question witnesses remotely.
Rooms for the court's judges have booths for online meetings so they can hold discussions with lawyers.
It is hoped that by bringing together judges and researchers who are experts on intellectual property and business conflicts, as well as patent attorneys and certified public accountants, the court will be able to conduct more specialized and faster proceedings.
The Intellectual Property High Court began operations at the new facility on Tuesday. The other divisions are scheduled to do so this month.