#Japan #AI Research #legal intelligence #Bunkyo #Legalscape

Legalscape's Strategic Move into International Law

Legalscape, headquartered in Bunkyo, Tokyo, led by CEO Itsuki Yagida, recently announced a significant enhancement to its AI research service, "Legalscape." Starting July 24, 2026, users will be able to access Japanese-language books on international law through the platform's AI research functionalities. This initiative is designed to enable seamless searches across legal information concerning seven countries—namely the United States, China, the United Kingdom, Germany, India, Vietnam, and Myanmar—as well as relevant regions like the EU and Asia-Pacific, including ASEAN. Legal areas also specified include international commercial arbitration and cross-border taxation.

The Context Behind This Expansion

As Japanese companies increasingly venture abroad and foreign entities continue to invest in Japan, legal departments and law firms are facing cases that often cross national boundaries. Researching international law requires an understanding of local statutes and regulations, typically starting with Japanese explanations to grasp the broader context and practical implications. Previously, this has largely been a manual task involving sifting through books to find relevant sections.

In September 2023, Legalscape integrated generative AI with its proprietary natural language processing technology, offering a comprehensive search experience that spanned Japanese law, publications, statutes, case law, and guidelines. Continuous feedback from corporate legal departments and law firms indicated a strong demand for the inclusion of foreign legal literature within the AI research system. Notably, legal teams handling cross-border matters pointed out the burden of managing diverse research tools for each case.

To address these concerns, Legalscape will now include previously listed foreign legal titles as part of its AI research repertoire. However, it is vital to note that these additions are Japanese-language legal texts and do not encompass local statutes or case law from these countries. The aim is to enable users to initiate initial investigations into cross-border issues with the same ease as domestic cases, centralizing the research process.

Target Countries and Legal Themes

The expansion encompasses three categories of publications:

• - Books focused on specific countries' legal systems and practices,
• - Compilatory texts covering multiple jurisdictions,
• - Resources addressing cross-jurisdictional themes.

The individual countries include the U.S., China, the U.K., Germany, India, Vietnam, and Myanmar, while regional focuses point towards the EU, Asia, Asia-Pacific, and Oceania. Additionally, it covers international legal areas like arbitration, taxation, intellectual property law, cross-border data, competition law, and management of foreign M&As and subsidiaries.

The topics curated represent commonly queried areas in practice. The selection of titles primarily includes major reference works and does not aim to comprehensively cover local primary legislation or case law. Legalscape plans to continuously expand the geographic scope and range of content.

How to Utilize the Expanded Features

Users aiming to conduct research can include the names of any stated countries or regions in their search prompts to access relevant texts. For instance, one might input, "What are the steps for e-discovery in the U.S.?" Or, "What should I consider when establishing a local entity in Vietnam?" Importantly, no additional subscriptions or changes to existing plans are required; current users can take advantage of this new functionality immediately.

Future Developments

Legalscape aims to continually broaden the range of foreign legal texts available for research and to incorporate additional countries and regions. Through this effort, it strives to create a unified research environment where users can explore both Japanese and international laws on the same platform, thereby reducing the workload associated with cross-border legal inquiries.

Concurrently, Legalscape will enhance international cooperation through the "Legal Intelligence" AI system, which was first introduced in March 2026. This system allows clients to leverage Legalscape's legal information database and AI framework via APIs for integration into their own products or systems. Collaborative services with Korean legal AI providers like BHSN and Law&Company, as well as European legal tech firms like Noxtua, are also on the agenda.

The initiative to include international law publications in Legalscape’s research capabilities reflects its commitment to expanding access to cross-border legal information. By creating a bidirectional flow of legal data that connects Japanese and foreign legal resources, Legalscape is dedicated to fostering a richer legal landscape.

About Legalscape

Founded on September 14, 2017, Legalscape is determined to realize a future legal society through the collaborative power of people and technology. It specializes in advanced natural language processing techniques and generative AI applications in the legal field, aspiring to deliver legal knowledge rapidly and accurately across all levels of society.

For more information, visit Legalscape.