Introduction
The Japan Adult Guardianship Law Corporate Association (JAGA) is a national association of scholars and professionals interested in issues concerning Adult Guardianship Law and policy. The JAGA has approximately 1,000 members at present, including academics, legal practitioners, social workers, notaries, accountants, court clerks, and medical doctors.
The JAGA was established in November 2003 with aims of researching on the legal system of Adult Guardianship introduced in 2000, and of disseminating its new ideas throughout Japanese society. In addition to conducting national surveys and research, the JAGA also has held international symposia, forums, and various other events open to the public, inviting speakers from abroad, for example from Germany (2003 & 2008), the United Kingdom (2004), the United States (2004&2007), in order to exchange views and experiences. In 2010 the JAGA is scheduled to convene its first world conference, which will hopefully be the occasion for the JAGA to launch itself as an international association by attracting many participants from abroad.
The present system of Adult Guardianship, with the conjunction of statutory and contractual forms of guardianship, was introduced in April 2000. This was after significant reforms had been made to the previous law dating back to the Meiji era, whose paternalistic manner of depriving vulnerable adults of any opportunities for decision- making, under the name of protection, had been a source of great concern. The nature and objectives of the Association are reflected in the principles adopted in the new law, which places much importance on the concepts of the “normalisation”, “self-determination” and “quality of life” of vulnerable people. The concepts of “empowerment” and “protection” are also given great emphasis in the new system, and the Adult Guardianship Law is now expected to play the central role in the entire social security (welfare) system.
Despite the major advances achieved thus far, further improvements from new perspectives are always desirable. And how to secure more accessibility for all potential users is definitely a key issue in this regard. Support of all kinds is of vital importance for the development of the Association and our quest for the happiness of all members of society. Your participation would be most welcome.
Sincerely,
The President Makoto Arai
How to Join
MEMBERSHIP AND DUES
There are three categories of Membership:
1. Ordinary Membership: open to any members (scholars and professionals) of the legal profession or ones related to Adult Guardianship Law. The Council may defer or decline any application for membership.
2. Contributory Membership: open to interested persons or organisations at the discretion of, and on terms approved by, the Council.
3. Non-regular Membership: open to interested persons and their families at the discretion of, and on terms approved by, the Council.
Applications for each category of membership must be accompanied by two references from ordinary members. Each member shall pay such annual dues as may be established from time to time by the Council.
Please contact the Executive Office (email: j_jaga@nifty.com) for a membership application form and for further information about the Association. Your participation would contribute greatly to the development of adult guardianship law in society.
Executive Office
：Japan Adult Guardianship Law Association（JAGA）
：Minjiho Kenkyu Kai Inc. 3-7-16 Ebisu Shibuya-ku Tokyo Japan 150-0013
： +81-3-5798-7278
：E-mail j_jaga@nifty.com