JCAA Call For Public Comments On Proposed Updates To Its Rules

The Japan Commercial Arbitration Association (JCAA) has issued a call for public comments on its proposal to (i) amend its two current sets of arbitration rules and (ii) introduce a revolutionary set of rules designed to provide efficient and cheap civil-law style arbitration.

In its introduction, the JCAA makes the frank admission that it: "has yet to play a significant role in the resolution of international disputes." The clear motivation for these new rules is to change this by proposing a unique arbitration model that is attractive to a wide range of businesses. Accordingly, the new sets of rules (the key features of which are explored below) seem to create a three tiered-system: