On 28th November 2008, H.E. Ambassador Shin Ebihara bestowed upon Professor Alan Vaughan Lowe the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon for his outstanding contribution as legal counsel in various international litigation involving Japan, and also to the advancement of intellectual exchange in the field of international law.
Professor Lowe is Chichele Professor of Public International Law and a Fellow of All Souls College at the University of Oxford and holds various law degrees, including a PhD from the University of Wales. He was called to the Bar at Gray��s Inn in October 1993, and was subsequently appointed Queen��s Counsel in April 2008.
In 1999, the Government of Japan retained Professor Lowe as Counsel in the Southern Bluefin Tuna Case, an international compulsory arbitration case brought by Australia and New Zealand. Also, in the more recent Hoshinmaru and Tomimaru cases, lodged by Japan against Russia at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Seas, Professor Lowe again joined the Japanese delegation as Chief Advocate, greatly assisting in all aspects of the trial preparation. In the above cases, Professor Lowe provided invaluable advice to Japan and helped win favourable decisions, thus playing an indispensable role in the maintenance of Japan��s national interests as an ocean state.
Futhermore, he has also stimulated the study and research of international law in Japan, as well as intellectual exchange among legal scholars through his active participation in lectures and conferences, and contributions to journals.
On hearing that he was to be decorated, he commented, ��It is an enormous honour, and a great delight, to have been given this award. I have the highest respect for the lawyers in the Japanese government, and the Japanese legal scholars, with whom I have worked,��There is a real understanding and closeness of approach between the legal communities in our respective islands, and I like to think that the award which I am privileged to bear is a celebration of that link and a sign of confidence in the role that international law can play in addressing the many problems which face the world.��
With his expertise and broad experience in international law, Professor Lowe has played a crucial role in defending Japan's position in international litigation and advancing intellectual exchange in the field of international law. He well deserves to be honoured for this outstanding contribution. |
