Japanese Insider Trading Law at the Advent of the Digital Age: New Challenges Raised by Internet and Communication Technology

Although Japanese courts, specifically the Japanese Supreme Court in February of 1999, have taken recent steps to curtail insider trading in Japan, the spread of the Internet and new forms of communication technologies may make enforcement of insider trading regulations much more complex. Such activities have become increasingly difficult to detect, and for instance, there are many cases in the United States illustrating the possibility of abuse of the new technologies to promote securities crimes on the Internet. This Note explores the impact of new technologies on the insider trading problem in Japan. It presents the historical problems of insider trading in Japan, discusses Japanese insider trading law generally, and sets forth possible solutions for the challenges created by the current technologies