Issei Sakano
Adjunct Lecturer
Civil Law · Civil Procedure · Legal Methodology · Legal Drafting & Codification · Cambodian Legal System · Comparative Law · Commercial Law · Legal and Judicial Reform
Biography
Mr. Issei Sakano is a Japanese legal expert and Advisor to the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Cambodia with extensive experience in legal and judicial reform, legislative drafting, and international legal cooperation. He has been closely involved in Cambodia’s legal development for more than three decades. After coming to Cambodia in the early 1990s, he later joined Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) legal technical assistance activities and played a significant role in supporting the drafting and implementation of Cambodia’s Civil Code and Code of Civil Procedure. Japanese Ministry of Justice records identify him as a long-term JICA expert involved in the Cambodian legal-system development project from 1998 onward.
His expertise extends beyond Cambodia. He was also dispatched by JICA to Myanmar from 2014 to 2016, where he worked as a project coordinator supporting legal and judicial development.
Mr. Sakano continues to contribute to Cambodian legal reform as an Advisor to the Ministry of Justice. He has also participated in recent discussions concerning the development of Cambodia’s Commercial Code and regularly shares his expertise on codification and legislative methodology. In 2025, he was awarded the Japanese Foreign Minister’s Commendation in recognition of his contribution to promoting international cooperation in Cambodia.
