Dr. Michiko Aoki, one of my colleagues of East Asia Legal Study Center (EALS) at Harvard Law School, passed away a few days ago. I was shocked when I heard about this. I could not believe because I felt that I had seen her the day before.

Dr. Michiko is a very kind and humble person. The first time I saw her was when she introduced herself in an EALS reception two years ago. She let us call her “Michi” and it immediately brought us closer–she obviously was a senior fellow without any arrogance. Later when we attended the round table discussion series of EALS, I heard many of her insightful comments on various issues and got to know more about her.

Michi is a specialist of early Japanese poetry, Japanese women writers, and formation of Japanese civilization. In dealing with these various subjects, she pays close attention to the social equality issue, especially in terms of women’s right. In all of the comments I heard during the discussions, she raised genuine inquiries on what would be impacted in terms of equality, and she always provided insightful suggestions to evaluate such impact.

Michi is insightful on many other issues besides legal ones. She once had a discussion with me about World War II. I was amazed by her comments on its impact on Japanese society and its relationship with other Asian countries. And frankly, it removed much of my bias on Japan. I learned that Japanese scholars, such as Michi, thought deeply about this issue and tried hard to contribute to the nation and the world.

During the last year I have been seeing her more in the EALS office. She often came early in the morning and print out her materials. Many times I heard her cheerful “good morning” when I buried my head in my endless readings. A moment of conversation with her could always make my morning joyful–everyone here at EALS agreed that her jolly spirit was infectious.

Michi has left for a different world, and I wish all the best for her.