Demonstration of a legal reasoning system based on teleological analogies

Abstract

In this article, we demonstrate our analogical legal reasoning system based on a teleological approach to interpret laws, using an actual example. By this demonstration, we show the validity of our approach. The example is based on a real legal problem and consists of an actual case, the actual decision on the case by the Japanese Supreme Court and two major doctrines on the case in Japan. The problem and the doctrines are also analyzed from the viewpoint of GDA (Goal-Dependent Abstraction) framework in this article. We further show that our system using GDA can provide helpful information to evaluate and revise interpretations of legal rules.