Lexis AS ONE Now Available

Duke Law has now purchased access to a broad range of Japanese-language legal material through the Lexis AS ONE database. This resource is available to the Duke Law community and to visitors working on-campus within the University IP range by using the link on the Foreign & Int’l tab of the Legal Databases and Links page.

Lexis AS ONE is the flagship product of Lexis in Japan. Core primary law materials date from as early as 1947, but the real breadth of coverage for most sources begins around 2010. The database handles all levels of government, from a collection of treaties and international documents to the full range of relevant municipal law, including some sub-federal sources. Access to case law is exceptionally deep, with options to search for opinions stretching back to the Meiji Era (1868). The popular reporter Hanrei Times, as well as a number of topical reporters, are also included. In addition to the primary law material, Lexis AS ONE includes some serials providing legal commentary.

The search interface is very simple and straightforward. The main page is an aggregated search of all the content on the site, but there are boxes to click for easily limiting results to the categories of documents one is looking for. Three additional tabs expand the site's functionality. The middle two provide extensive options for targeted searches in the case law and legal literature, respectively. A final tab supports a browsing experience of the core serial publications. Interestingly, serials are reorganized not by issue, but in a topical index, similar to an encyclopedia.

For help with accessing or using Lexis AS ONE, or for more information about books or e-books on Japanese law topics, be sure to Ask a Librarian.

--Mike McArthur, Foreign, Comparative & International Law Librarian