A Joint Research of Traditional and Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems in the South-western Pacific Countries

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Results of the Project are following :1 14 members of the law faculty visited Hawaii, Philippines, Indonesia and Federated States of Micronesia, and 5 members of Hawaii Law School visited Hiroshima Law Faculty, and they performed academic exchange. Over twenty more staffs of both schools also visited each other and supported this project.2 Law Faculty of Hiroshima University held successfully an international symposium " Social, Political and Legal Problems of South Pacific Island States", cooperating with the members of Hawaii Law School, in 1990. It was an result of the project more than expected.3 "Law and Society of South Pacific Island States" was published as another result of the project. This book will greatly contribute to the studies of South Pacific Area.4 Several translations of articles about South Pacific Island States were published in "The Hiroshima Law Journal".5 The knowledge from this joint research is following :As to the South Pacific Island states, they locate sca … More ttering widely in the Pacific. They became to the colonies of western states at latest, therefore they vary from an independent state to a colony in their forms. They suffer from the problems of the way how to configure the authority of the traditional leaders and tradition and customs in the governmental system and legal systems, which belong to the common problems on the way of establishing national states. On the other hand, they face the contemporary problems, such as the pollution by the radio-active waste, territory disputes caused by the exclusive economic water area of 200 miles and so on, at the same time.6 As to Indonesia, 90 % of the population believe in Islam. She has received the legal system of Netherlands, and has faced the problem how to adjust European law, Islamic law and traditional indigenous legal systems. She also faces the problems which are caused by severe social mobility and environmental pollution.7 As to Hawaii and the United States, the problems about dispute resolution are coming up hand in hand. In the United States various alternative dispute resolution systems (= ADR) are trying, such as mini-trial, rent a judge, med-arb, court annexed arbitration and mediation etc. beside adjudication and arbitration. Court-annexed arbitration and mediation are most interested among them. The research of ADRs points out that "negotiation" is a common initiative stage not only in the ADRs but also in general, and an indispensable means to resolve the disputes peacefully.8 We believe that this project has been performed as expected at the beginning. Less