Arigatō, Japan!

The first time that Christian Schwarzenegger spent an extended period in Japan was when he worked as an assistant professor, teaching European law at the universities of Niigata and Aichi in the 1990s. Back then, Japan was something of an unusual destination, he recalls. “All my colleagues wanted to go to the US or to a European country.” He, on the other hand, decided to follow in the footsteps of his supervising professors who both maintained academic ties with Japan. He also had personal links to Japan at the time.

While European law in Japan may sound somewhat exotic, Schwarzenegger insist that it isn’t. To explain what he means he refers to Japanese history: during the Meiji era in the second half of the 19th century, Japan underwent rapid modernization and adopted key legal principles from Germany and France. “In lectures I wanted to show students the wider context in which Japanese law was born,” explains Schwarzenegger. This is still relevant now as the reforms of that time laid the foundations for Japan’s economic boom after the Second World War, when the country became the leading industrial nation it is today. 

“The Japanese students particularly liked my lecture on inheritance law,” laughs Schwarzenegger. “Using my own family tree – which also includes my second cousin Arnold Schwarzenegger – I was able to explain the so-called parentelic system in a really hands-on way. Arnold is in my fourth degree.” He also had students trace their own family backgrounds. “Surprisingly, many barely knew anyone beyond their aunts and uncles. I’ve been a proponent of case-based learning in law ever since,” says Schwarzenegger.

From the outset Schwarzenegger invested a great deal of time and energy in learning Japanese as he says that the only way to really understand and connect with people is by learning their language. While he admits that it was hard work, he says that his growing language skills really paid dividends: “I got to work in an interesting environment and build a great network.”

Schwarzenegger was also able to use his knowledge of Japan when he returned to Switzerland. In 1999 he became professor of criminal law, criminal procedure law and criminology at UZH, and later Dean of the Faculty of Law. Since 2014 he has been Vice President Faculty Affairs and Scientific Information. “My links to Japan helped a great deal when implementing the first UZH internationalization strategy,” says Schwarzenegger.

The Japan Lecture Series, for example, which launched in 2022, was Schwarzenegger’s brainchild and involved prominent Japanese figures coming to talk about their work. The initiative generated a great deal of interest. One of the speakers was stem cell researcher Shin'ya Yamanaka, winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2012, who gave a talk at UZH on the potential of his method for generating induced pluripotent stem cells.

This Japan Lecture was a key milestone in the research collaboration between UZH’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine and the Center for IPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, which still exists today. Stem cells can be used to test the efficacy of new drugs at a personalized level, and to facilitate new therapies where ‘defective cells’ can be replaced by the body’s own stem cells.

Back in 2014 Schwarzenegger set up a Double Degree Program between the Faculty of Law at UZH and the Graduate School of Law at Doshisha University in Tokyo, which has grown in popularity in recent years. Academic collaboration was also established or reinforced with institutions such as the National Institute of Informatics, the Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo.

As part of the Swiss-Japanese Society, Schwarzenegger also organizes cultural events, such as shamisen concerts, film screenings, exhibitions on Japanese architecture, art and culinary traditions, and literary evenings.

It is this broad commitment to Japanese culture and business that led the Japanese government to award Christian Schwarzenegger the Order of the Rising Sun. He was presented with the Order at a ceremony held at UZH on Thursday, 27 February 2025.

“I’m delighted with this acknowledgment of my efforts to promote exchange and dialogue between Japan and Switzerland,” says Schwarzenegger. He has been President of the Swiss-Japanese Society since 2022. “This is the biggest organization in Switzerland dedicated to promoting cultural ties with Japan – effectively the cultural equivalent of the chamber of commerce for business,” says Schwarzenegger. To mark the society’s 70th anniversary, a special event is planned at the Kunsthaus Zürich on 13 September 2025. The program will include performance calligraphy to introduce people to this typical Japanese art form, as well as Japanese jazz music, artistic video clips, and much more.

Schwarzenegger’s own interest in Japanese culture is as wide-ranging as the cultural events organized in Switzerland. “I collect fine art, but I’m also fascinated by ceramics and origami – and more broadly by the high-precision handicrafts that make intricate objects out of bamboo, paper, fabric, enamel, clay, bronze, and other metals. Of course, I also love the food; some restaurants in Japan only have space for eight diners. It’s not about maximizing turnover, but about creating the perfect taste and delivering an unforgettable experience.”

The traditional Shinto nature religion also appeals to Schwarzenegger. “In Shintoism, the whole of nature – even old trees and unusually shaped stones – is considered sacred and worshipped. I like this way of showing respect and reverence to all beings and things in this world,” he adds.

Even after 30 years, Schwarzenegger believes that Japan is still worth a visit. “Traveling is wonderful, but you can also just stay in one place and enjoy life. The Japanese people are nowhere near as reserved as you might think, and are actually very communicative – if you speak enough of the language to converse with them.” Another reason why he still practices his Japanese every day.