Kobe University Graduate School of Law/Global Masters Programmes (GMAP) in Law is pleased to announce that a one-day seminar on international investment law will take place on 29 January 2016 in Kobe, Japan. The theme is Asian challenges to international investment law: viewing from internal and comparative perspectives. Here is the idea:

Investment treaty law and arbitration has historically developed so as to protect foreign direct investment made by investors from European and North American countries towards the rest of the world. In the 2010s, however, Asia is playing increasingly a role in changing this traditional landscape: Asian companies began to bring investment claims against European countries by way of arbitration. Also, Asia takes initiatives in investment law-making at a regional level such as Japan-Korea-China investment agreement and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This seminar thus aims to understand these Asian challenges to international investment law from both internal as well as comparative perspectives so as to prospect a future Asian contribution to global economic governance.

Submission of paper proposals

In addition to investment law expert sessions featuring invited speakers, the seminar also holds sessions for junior researchers/practitioners. It provides a platform where participants will be given feedback on their paper presentations from senior experts. Graduate students (students enrolled in master or PhD programmes) as well as junior researchers/practitioners are invited to submit a paper on topics including, but not limited to: TTP; Japan-Korea-China IIA; Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB); Ping An Life Insurance Corp. v. Belgium; JGC Corp. v, Spain; plain packaging; global supply chain; intellectual properties; interaction between trade and investment law; geopolitics of the TPP; transparency; harmonization; standards of protection; investor-state dispute settlement.

How to submit

◆ An applicant should submit an abstract (of no more than 300 words) with a CV (including email address and list of publications) to Kei Nakajima (kei.nakajima@port.kobe-u.ac.jp) by 5 December 2015.

◆ The successful applicants will be notified by 15 December 2015.

◆ Participants are expected to submit a conference paper (of no more than 4,000 words) by 20 January 2016.

Other Information

◆ The seminar is held at Kobe University Graduate School of Law, Kobe, Japan. The detail of the venue is to be confirmed. Updates will be posted on GMAP website.

◆ Sessions for junior researchers/practitioners are supposed to be held in the morning, followed by lunchtime break and investment law expert sessions in the afternoon.

◆ Presentation (20 minutes each) is followed by general discussion with participants as well as senior experts.

◆ No registration fee is required. Coffees, lunch and dinner are provided. A limited number of financial assistance for travel/accommodation fee might be available for applicants upon request with a short statement on the reasons.

Organisers

◆ Dai Tamada, Professor of Law at Kobe University & Director of GMAP in Law

◆ James Claxton, Professor of Law at Kobe University

◆ Kei Nakajima, Research Fellow at Kobe University

Should you have any question, please do not hesitate to contact with Kei Nakajima (kei.nakajima@port.kobe-u.ac.jp).