Speaker: ITO Katsunao, SHIMIZU Naoki and YAMAZAKI Haruo, NDL

December 8, 2004

Mr. Ito discussed the basics of searching legal information both in print and online. An overview of the organization and the different levels of laws and regulations was introduced. The importance of the history of law and regulation amendments for legal research was emphasized. Both print and online legal information were introduced, including Nihon Horei Sakuin, Horei Deta Teikyo System.

It was also noted that in spite of the increasing availability of legal information online, there are cases in which a researcher has to rely on both print and online resources so as to find the first enactment of a particular law and the text of a law before and after it was amended.

Mr. Yamazaki presented an overview of the legislative information resources including Kokkai Kaigiroku Kensaku System at the National Diet Library and the limitations of this system, and showed how to search Diet sessions on a particular legislation. In addition, Mr. Yamazaki provided some useful websites related to legislative information and other issues that he uses for his own daily reference work at the NDL.

Mr. Shimizu presented the government statistical information resources including the White Papers and other official statistical data both in-print and online such as the portal of the government statistical data and Seifu Shiryo Abusutorakuto.

[Prepared by Eiichi Ito.]