『TWeaving Law into Code: The Codification of International Law in the League of Nations and the Japanese International Lawyers』（The University of Nagoya Press　2023）
Rikiya Takahashi
（Associate Professor, Yokohama City University, School of International Liberal Arts）

I am tremendously honored to receive the prestigious Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize. I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the selection committee for reviewing my book, Weaving Law into Code and to all the staffs of the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Foundation for their kind support. Please allow me to take this opportunity to also express my sincere appreciation to the former academic advisor, Professor Hatsue Shinohara, and to Nagoya University Press for bringing out the book.
Weaving Law into Code examines Japan’s involvement in the project for codifying international law at the League of Nations in the 1920s. It is said that Japan had little interest in the establishment of legal order in the international community. On the other hand, there were a few Japanese diplomats, such as, Mineichiro Adachi and Michikazu Matsuda, who found hope in the new style of diplomacy that emerged during the interwar period, namely, conference diplomacy at the League and worked diligently to enhance international law. In the book, I have attempted to reveal another aspect of the interwar Japanese diplomacy by focusing on the contributions of Adachi, Matsuda and others to the codification of international law in the League.
Upon receiving this award, I had the opportunity to look through issues of a Foundation’s pamphlet “Kenteki-ko,” and to come across Ohira’s philosophy.
Adachi and Matsuda were not a dreamer who ignored the harsh realities of international politics. Looking back on history, it was inconceivable that the establishment of the League would immediately lead to end war. Nevertheless, they also seemed to have a belief that if the League was trying to strengthen the world order with the codification, they should not turn their backs on that future, but seriously consider what role Japan can play at that time. Here, one might say that there is some resonance with Ohira’s view on “present,” which was not to “ignore the pull of the past and only aspire to the future,” nor to “turn one’s eyes away from the future and cling only to the past.”
What was the “present” for the people who lived through the 1920s? Encouraged and inspired by the award, I would like to continue to pursue this point with even greater diligence in the future.

Profile
Rikiya Takahashi (Ph.D. in International Relations) is Associate Professor of Yokohama City University, School of International Liberal Arts. After obtained his undergraduate degree in law from Keio University, Takahashi received a master’s degree respectively from Keio University, University of Illinois and King’s College London and earned Ph.D. degree from Nihon University. He served as Adviser at the Permanent Mission of Japan to the United Nations before entering academic field. His research traces the history of international law focusing on the League of Nations’ project for codifying international law during the 1920s.