John Owen Haley, professor of law at Vanderbilt, has been honored with the prestigious Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to friendship between Japan and the United States. The decoration was conferred by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan.
Haley is widely regarded as a pioneering scholar in the comparative study of Japanese law. His numerous scholarly works span a range of issues, including international trade policy, comparative law, Japanese land-use law, Japanese and East Asian business transactions and Japanese contemporary society.
The Order of the Rising Sun was established in 1875 as the first national decoration awarded by the Japanese government. The decoration is bestowed upon individuals who have made significant contributions to positive relations between Japan and its allied nations. Haley is being recognized primarily for his dedication to the enhancement of Japanese legal studies in the United States, as well as for his dedication to the promotion of mutual understanding between the citizens of the two countries.
In 1974, Haley joined the law faculty at the University of Washington, where he later served as chair of the Japanese studies program and director of the Asian law program. He continued teaching and researching Japanese law at the University of Washington in St. Louis, from which he retired as the William R. Orthwein Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus before joining Vanderbilt Law School’s faculty in 2010.
Haley also has taught and lectured at leading universities in Japan, including Aoyama Gakuin University, Kobe University and Tohoku University. He served as the American branch executive secretary of the Japanese American Society for Legal Studies from 1976 to 1989.
The consulate-general of Japan hosted a formal conferment ceremony and a reception in honor of Haley at Consul General Sato’s official residence in June.
Contact: Jennifer Butler, (615) 340-4300, ext. 172
info@nv.mofa.go.jp