Masako MIYATAKE

Professor of Keio University Law School

Masako MIYATAKE , an expert scholar and practitioner of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), joined the Keio University Law School faculty in 2021 as a full-time professor after serving as an adjunct lecturer since 2016. She has been practicing law in Japan since 2002, including her current position at Blakemore & Mitsuki, Japan's oldest international law firm. Professor Miyatake earned a Ph.D. in Business Law from Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy (2017) and an LL.M. from Columbia University Law School, New York (2012), where she was also a visiting scholar (2012-2014). In addition, she holds a Master in Business Law from Hitotsubashi University (2007) and graduated from Hitotsubashi with a B.A. in Sociology (1983).

Her profound recognition of the importance of mediation through her own legal research and practice - from court-connected mediation to grievances in the workplace and household matters in both Japan and the U.S. - have opened her eyes to empowering people to resolve disputes on their own. It drew her back to academics to build a bridge between practices in ADR and theory. She is also an advocate for proactive conflict management in the workplace and educational institutions.

◆Fields of Expertise

Dispute Resolution: ADR (International Arbitration, Mediation, Negotiation, and Organizational Ombudsman), Litigation; Compliance Issues; Finance; Employment Law; U.S. law-related matters.

◆Selected Publications and Writing　　

・"Comparative Study of U.S. Mediation and Japanese Mediation, As Well As Proposals to Revitalize Japanese Mediation Systems" Ph.D. dissertation for Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy, March 2017.

・"Determinants of the Scope of Privilege in Mediation - Primarily Based on the Uniform Mediation Act" Columbia Law School, LL.M. Supervised Research Paper, May 2012.

・"Raising Qualified and Competent Mediators to Resolve Global Business Disputes: Understanding the Mediation Principles and Mastering Mediation Skills" JCA Journal, Vol. 67-7, July 2020.

・"Organizational Ombudsman as a Solution to Workplace Harassment and Bullying in Japan" Journal of the Japanese Institute of International Business Law, Volume 48, No.1, January 2020.

・"Confidentiality in U.S. Mediation" Keio Law Journal, No.41, November 2018.

・Financing Electric Power Industry Post-Restructuring and How to Use Trust as a Financing Tool" Minjiho-kenkyukai, April 2018; pp.170-196.

・Japan's New Financial ADR System (with a lawyer of Nishimura & Asahi) in English. U.S.: Bloomberg Law Reports - Alternative Dispute Resolution (Vol.1, No.2), 2010.

・Lectures on Handling Complaints on the Financial Instrument Products. (Banking Business Text book), Ginko-kensyusha, 2009, Chapter II.

・"Tax Issues in the Legal Disputes" Minjiho-kenkyukai, 2009; pp.261-265 and pp.396-400.

・"Policy Proposals for Ideal Financial ADR and Feasible Plan" Contributor as member of Japan Financial ADR/Ombudsman Study Group, 2008.

・Lectures on the Practice of Administrative Litigation Law" Minjiho-kenkyukai, February 2007, pp.677-689.

・Description of Tax Litigation with Regard to Stock Option Taxation" Nikkei Biz Plus, Nikkei Net, January 2007.

◆Lectures and Presentations

・"Mediation as an Effective Measure to Address Complaints from Students with Disabilities in Higher Education Institutions in Japan" hosted by Association on Higher Education and Disabilities, (AHEAD JAPAN), Speaker, September 2020.

・"International Arbitration Amidst Asia's Rising Global Economic Preeminence: Litigating Outside the Courts and Around the World" at 2019 National Asian Pacific America Bar Association (NAPABA) Convention, Austin, USA, Panelist, November 2019.

・"Japanese Family Court Mediation" at 9th Asia Pacific Mediation Forum Conference (APMFC), Jeju, South Korea, Speaker, November 2019.

・"Training Mediators in the Asia Pacific Region (including Law School Education)" 2nd Asia Pacific Mediation Conference (APMC): How to Promote Mediation, Seoul, South Korea, Speaker, November 2018.

・"Expanding Role of Japanese Lawyers in International Dispute Resolution" at International Dispute Resolution in Asia; Memorial Symposium for the Establishment of the LL.M. program in Global Legal Practice at Keio University Law School, Tokyo, Japan, Moderator, April 27, 2016.

◆Additional

In addition to practicing law at Blakemore & Mitsuki, Tokyo, Professor Miyatake serves as Deputy Secretary-General, Japan International Dispute Resolution Center (JIDRC) and is a Member of the Steering Committee of the Japan International Mediation Center, Kyoto (JIMC) as well as a mediator at Tokyo Family Court, mediator/ arbitrator of Daini Tokyo Bar Association Arbitration Center, reconciliator of Dispute Reconciliation Center for Nuclear Damage Compensation regarding the 2011 Fukushima Nuclear Plant disaster.

She is listed on the panel of the Korean Commercial Arbitration Board (KCAB), the Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA) and the Japan Sports Arbitration Agency (JSAA), as well as the candidate mediator list of the Japan International Mediation Center (JIMC), Kyoto. CIArb Accredited Mediator and Fellow of CIArb.

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