Akiko Funabashi

Criminal Law, Medical Law

Criminal negligence, medical malpractice

I am researching the theory of criminal negligence. Negligence is defined as a breach of the duty of care, but the substance of the duty of care is not always clear. Therefore, I am focusing on the relationship between the criteria for determining the duty of care and foreseeability. In particular, I am interested in how to consider the criteria for the duty of care required of physicians, who possess higher knowledge and abilities than the average person, and also when new technologies and methods become required to be observed as part of the duty of care. Furthermore, since the initial basis of my research was a case that combined both medical malpractice and drug-induced harm, I have also been interested in and researching medical law and bioethics, especially research ethics in the context of medical research.

General Principles of Criminal Law, Specific Criminal Law Topics, Seminars I-IV, Graduation Research, GLP Subjects (GLP Seminar I, GLP Tutorials I-VIII), etc.

*GLP: Global Lawyers Program / Legal Profession Course

Criminal Law and Medical Law Research: Cultivating legal and logical thinking skills through the examination of criminal law cases.

Criminal law is taught in the fall semester of the first year (general principles) and the spring semester of the second year (specific provisions), with subsequent studies left to self-study. This seminar will examine criminal law cases based on the foundational knowledge learned in general principles and specific provisions of criminal law. In the case studies, we will deepen our understanding by examining relevant court precedents and legal theories, and aim to create a seminar where students can frankly discuss and improve each other's work. In addition, if students wish, we will also address issues related to medical law and bioethics.

• Graduated from Meiji University Faculty of Law
• Studied at Friedrich-Schiller University Jena (Germany)
• Completed master's program at Meiji University Graduate Graduate School of Law
• Meiji University Graduate School Graduate School of Law Withdrawal from doctoral program credits
  After working as an assistant at Meiji University Faculty of Law, a specially appointed researcher at the Institute of Medical Science, the University of Tokyo, and a full-time lecturer at Soka Faculty of Law University, he will become an associate professor at Soka University Faculty of Law from 2026. Ph.D. (Law).

Japan Criminal Law Association, Japan Medical Law Association, Japan Society for Bioethics, Japan Society for Quality and Safety in Healthcare

• On the subject of foreseeability in negligent crimes: focusing on the conflict between the concrete foreseeability theory and the fear theory (Meiji University Law Research Review No. 49)
• 20 years of "criminal medical malpractice" -- Reviewing the discussion toward mutual understanding between medical professionals and lawyers -- (Law & Practice No. 14)

Criminal law, which deals with crimes and punishment, may be difficult to understand at first, even though it is in Japanese. However, just like learning a foreign language, you should understand the meaning of each word, create sentences using technical terms, and gradually become able to write longer sentences. While acquiring the basics in this way, let's think about legal precedents and academic theories together and have fun learning.