"Weightier than a Mountain": Duty, Hierarchy, and the Consumer in Japan

The authors analyze the 1994 Japanese products liability law from a national-culture perspective. After examining the historical backdrop of the consumer's social role in both the United States and Japan, the authors argue that the new law cannot create a strict liability system like that of the United States in Japan, because the unique Japanese cultural context and its manipulation discourage the use of the legal process to advance consumer interests.