Harald Baum

Harald Baum is a Professor at the University of Hamburg and an Affiliate at the Max Planck Institute for Private Law, where he served as Head of the Centre of Expertise on Japan from 1985 to 2020. He co-supervises the Journal of Japanese Law and coordinates academic exchanges with Kyoto University.

His educational background:

• Law studies at University of Hamburg
• Law studies at University of Freiburg
• Doctorate in 1984
• Post-doctoral thesis in 2004

Professor Baum specializes in Japanese Law, Comparative Law, and German/European Commercial Law with emphasis on Corporate and Financial Law. His research integrates Private International Law and Procedure through cross-jurisdictional analysis, focusing on economic law frameworks and transnational legal harmonization between Japan and Europe.

His awards:

• 2019 Eugen and Ilse Seibold Prize of the DFG for advancing German-Japanese academic and cultural exchange
• 2019 Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation for promoting Japan-Germany mutual understanding

Baum founded the Centre of Expertise on Japan in 1985 and established the Journal of Japanese Law in 1996. He actively participates in the Académie Internationale de Droit Comparé, European Law Institute, and German-Japanese Association of Jurists, driving international legal scholarship and institutional collaboration.