On May 9, 2024, the Graduate School of Social Sciences and the Institute for Global Governance Research (GGR) at Hitotsubashi University hosted a joint seminar entitled “Comparative Legal Studies Including Portuguese Law System: To Understand the Diversity of Legal Concepts and the Influence of European Law Systems in the Global South,” inviting Professor Isabel Mousinho de Figueiredo (Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Macau) as a lecturer,

Professor Figueiredo began by introducing the origins and history of Portugal, from trade exchanges during the Roman era to early modern Asia and the invasion of China, as well as the history of interactions with China. She then discussed the definition of law, its relationship with ethics, the differences between common law and civil law, their origins, and Western legal systems. Additionally, she explained codification by dividing it into early codification and modern codification, noting that early codification dates back to the Code of Hammurabi and modern codification begins with the Napoleonic Code, providing an overview of modern codification in Western law. Finally, she presented an overview of the Portuguese legal system through the first Civil Code enacted in 1866 and the second Civil Code enacted in 1966.

During the Q&A session, questions were raised about the influence of the Chinese central government on Macau’s legal system and the language issues faced by the Portuguese in Macau. Professor Figueiredo argued that because common law and civil law are vastly different, local Portuguese people have to rely on tools such as interpreters, which affects a range of aspects including court proceedings.

【Event report prepared by】

YAN FENG (Master’s student, Graduate School of Law, Hitotsubashi University)

Eru Watanabe (Master’s student, School of International and Public Policy, Hitotsubashi University)