On February 10, 2015, 13 students in the doctoral program at the Graduate School of International Cooperation Studies (GSICS), Kobe University, including international students from Laos, Myanmar and Viet Nam, visited the IP High Court.
The visitors first observed oral argument and other proceedings in actual cases. Before and after the observation, they received explanations from judges and judicial research officials with regard to procedural and technical matters involved in the cases. Chief Judge Ryuichi Shitara presented an overview of the IP High Court to the visitors, and at the judicial research officials' room, the Chief Judicial Research Official provided them with a detailed explanation of the judicial research official system.
At the end of the tour, a meeting was held for the visitors with the attendance of Judge Misao Shimizu, the Presiding Judge of the Second Division, and four other judges. The visitors actively asked the judges questions and exchanged opinions with them. The international students, in particular, showed great interest not only in intellectual property cases but also in civil actions in Japan in general.