Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Why a handbook on human dignity?
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Human dignity from a legal perspective
- 2 Human dignity: concepts, discussions, philosophical perspectives
- Part I Origins of the concept in European history
- Part II Beyond the scope of the European tradition
- Part III Systematic conceptualization
- Part IV Legal implementation
- 36 Equal dignity in international human rights
- 37 Is human dignity a useless concept? Legal perspectives
- 38 Human dignity in French law
- 39 Human dignity in German law
- 40 Human dignity in US law
- 41 Human dignity in South American law
- 42 Human dignity in South African law
- 43 The Islamic world and the alternative declarations of human rights
- 44 The protection of human dignity under Chinese law
- 45 Human dignity in Japanese law
- 46 The place of dignity in the Indian Constitution
- Part V Conflicts and violence
- Part VI Contexts of justice
- Part VII Biology and bioethics
- Appendix 1 Further reading
- Appendix 2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Index
- References
45 - Human dignity in Japanese law
from Part IV - Legal implementation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 March 2015
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of contributors
- Foreword
- Why a handbook on human dignity?
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Human dignity from a legal perspective
- 2 Human dignity: concepts, discussions, philosophical perspectives
- Part I Origins of the concept in European history
- Part II Beyond the scope of the European tradition
- Part III Systematic conceptualization
- Part IV Legal implementation
- 36 Equal dignity in international human rights
- 37 Is human dignity a useless concept? Legal perspectives
- 38 Human dignity in French law
- 39 Human dignity in German law
- 40 Human dignity in US law
- 41 Human dignity in South American law
- 42 Human dignity in South African law
- 43 The Islamic world and the alternative declarations of human rights
- 44 The protection of human dignity under Chinese law
- 45 Human dignity in Japanese law
- 46 The place of dignity in the Indian Constitution
- Part V Conflicts and violence
- Part VI Contexts of justice
- Part VII Biology and bioethics
- Appendix 1 Further reading
- Appendix 2 Universal Declaration of Human Rights
- Index
- References
Summary
Respect for human dignity is one of the cornerstones of the Japanese legal system. As interpreted by modern scholars, the constitutional commitment to human dignity reflects the importance of respect for human rights and, in particular, the growing recognition of the need to make space for personal autonomy. However, the articulation of human dignity in Japanese law is far from complete, clear or straightforward. In some areas, the law still lags behind the modern understanding of human dignity.
This chapter starts by sketching the constitutional significance of human dignity and the extent to which Japan has embraced international human rights commitments. Some particular applications of this conjunction of human dignity and human rights are then given, before putting these developments in the context of a society that, traditionally, has a group orientation. The chapter continues with some remarks about the relationship between human dignity and Japan's modern pacifist stance; and it concludes with an indication of how human dignity applies in private law.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Handbook of Human DignityInterdisciplinary Perspectives, pp. 422 - 428Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2014
References
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