The HLSAJ was founded in 1982 and has been continuously operating as a resource for members of the Harvard Law School community in Japan since that time.

The HLSAJ’s first event was held in September 1982, with Professor Frank E.A. Sander ’52 of Harvard Law School and Richard E. Sherwood ’52 of O’Melveny & Myers participating as guest speakers. Since then, the HLSAJ has hosted a variety of lecture events on a diverse range of topics including legal education, Chinese legal reform, urban development, U.S.-Japan relations, and the U.S. financial crisis.

Past guest speakers have included:

• Justice Takaaki Hattori, former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan
• Paul J. McGrath ’65, then Assistant Attorney General of the United States
• Glen S. Fukushima ’82, then Deputy Assistant United States Trade Representative for Japan and China
• Justice Tokuji Izumi ’70, then a Justice of the Supreme Court of Japan
• Three Deans of Harvard Law School (former and current): Dean Robert C. Clark ’72, Dean Elena Kagan ’86, and Dean Martha L. Minow
• A wide variety of other distinguished practitioners and academics, most of whom are themselves graduates of Harvard Law School

The HLSAJ also organizes social events to promote friendship and networking among members of the Harvard Law School community in Japan.

For information about the current and former leadership of the HLSAJ, please visit the Current & Former Officers Page.