Haruki KADOTANI

Haruki Kadotani, Ph.D. Candidate of Keio University, Japan. Researcher of Keio University X Dignity Center.

“Political process and its relationship with political economy in the age of digital technologies” In the age of digital technologies, characterized by the pervasive influence of those technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), the relationship between private companies and the government has undergone a significant transformation. This shift is particularly evident in the domain of lawmaking and policy formation on the digital sector. Tech companies, which have much technological expertise and knowledge compared to legislators and bureaucrats, exert a distinct advantage in this regard. This advantage is often manifested through political influence activities, especially lobbying.

My research focuses on normative analysis of political process from a perspective of comparative constitutional law between Japan and the United States. In the United States, some constitutional scholars have warned that lobbying can distort the functioning government by eroding separation of powers. This recognition is also shared by competition law scholars. Therefore, the problem on political process (e.g., lobbying) is not only a constitutional problem, but also a problem on market structure and its relationship with the government.