![\"Takeshi](\"http:\/\/feedproxy.google.com\/assets\/23034\/japanesejudge_3_31_10_013_story.jpg\" "\\"Takeshi")
As a judge on the Sendai Family Court in Japan, the cases before Takeshi Nobuhiro are much like the cases one would see in an American courtroom\u2014child support, custody, and divorce among them. The difference is in procedure, and that is what Nobuhiro set out to understand when he arrived at Notre Dame Law School in August 2009.<\/p>\n
Nobuhiro is one of 30 judges chosen by the Supreme Court of Japan to study law and judicial system in a foreign country for a year as part of the Overseas Training and Research Program. \u201cI have attended classes here, and have observed hearings and trials at the courthouse in South Bend,\u201d says Nobuhiro. \u201cOne major difference I\u2019ve noticed is that judges in Japan spend much time during the preliminary stage of a trial to narrow the issues and attempt to reach a settlement. American judges do not seem to take such an approach in the early stages of a case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobuhiro earned his Bachelor of Law degree from Kyoto University (an undergraduate program), followed by the required one-and-a-half years of legal training. He says the environment at Notre Dame Law School is one he\u2019s never experienced. \u201cThe students seem to be very diligent. When I was in University, I\u2019m not confident I could have studied so hard. They prepare well, read many materials, and discuss thoughtfully with professors.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nobuhiro says that, while he won\u2019t implement what he\u2019s learned here into his courtroom practice when he returns to Japan in July, he is grateful for the opportunity to expand his knowledge of the law and have exposure to different ways of doing things.<\/p>\n