About
Masaki Ueda serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Law at the Faculty of Law. His academic work bridges criminal law theory, jurisprudence, and policy analysis, with specialized focus on artificial intelligence implications and legal reform evaluation. He actively shapes legal education through foundational courses and critical examination of legislative frameworks.
Ueda's research interrogates the foundations of criminal legislation, challenging knee-jerk legal reforms triggered by media coverage. His framework analyzes what societal values laws genuinely protect versus unintended restrictions, exemplified by critiques of the 2016 Adult Entertainment Business Act revisions (impacting DJ clubs) and tattooing regulations. He argues overbroad statutory language creates dangerous precedents where "anything becomes punishable" without clear protective intent, as detailed in his book Should we really punish that act? based on doctoral research.
In teaching, Ueda leads the "Masaki Ueda Seminar" where students dissect fictional cases to develop legal reasoning through criminal law applications. His courses include "Criminal Law I-IV" (covering general theory, punishment philosophy, and specific offenses like "I'm Your Son" fraud schemes) and "Law School Basic Seminars" exploring law's societal role. He emphasizes experiential learning, urging students to engage with diverse generational and cultural perspectives beyond campus to understand law's real-world impact on values and human behavior.
