Kazuya Yamashita

Biography

Kazuya Yamashita is a qualified lawyer, originally from Japan, currently studying towards an LLM in Internaitonal Shipping Law at Queen Mary University of London. He has experience practising maritime law, mergers & acquisitions, insolvency law and general corporate law at Higashimachi LPC. He was previously seconded to the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, where he was involved in drafting legislative amendments to different Japanese corporate and maritime laws. 

Introduction to research

Yamashita's research is focused on the Maritime Law Revision Act, enacted in Japan in May 2018. Having been involved in the drafting of this revision through his work at the Ministry of Justice, his research will outline the process and contents of this revision of Japan's maritime law, regarding the collision of ships, and make a comparison with English maritime law.

Why did you choose maritime as your area of study and research?

I am a maritime lawyer and consider myself to be amongst the lawyers most familiar with Japanese maritime law. Recently, Japanese companies involved in the maritime industry are increasing their presence in the world, whereas international maritime law is largely dominated by English law and legal conventions. 

What do you hope to get out of participating in the Maritime Masters programme?

Japan is one of the largest shipping nations in the world, but Japanese maritime law is less prolific than the country's position would suggest. Japanese shipping companies often choose English law as their governing law, and the position of maritime arbitration in Japan is uncertain. I would like to contribute to raising the profile of Japanese maritime law by conveying its merits and my enthusiasm.