In several respects, however, Japanese law is closer to that of the United States than to European models, especially in matters of public and constitutional law. This is largely a result of the post-World War II occupation and of subsequent contacts with American legal thinking and education. From the perspective of the rules and institutions of private law, the Japanese legal system remains closer to the civil law of Europe than to the common law of the United States. In many ways, nevertheless, the Japanese legal order differs markedly from all Western legal orders.