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How did the German Civil Code influence legal systems in Japan, Greece, and Switzerland?

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Mosaic portrait of Emperor Justinian I with a jeweled crown and halo, from the 6th-century Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. — Civil law Justinian I, detail of a 6th-century mosaic at the Church of San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.

The German Civil Code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch) has served as a foundational influence for several international legal systems, particularly within the Germanic branch of civil law.

Japan: Following the Meiji Restoration, Japan sought to modernize its legal framework to support a free-enterprise system and renegotiate international treaties. The Japanese Civil Code was modeled on the first draft of the German Civil Code. While it incorporated German structure and substance, it also integrated Japanese customs, particularly regarding the patriarchal family system, which were later revised after World War II to align more closely with modern civil law standards.12
Switzerland: The Swiss Civil Code, drafted by Eugen Huber, was influenced by both the Napoleonic Code and the German Civil Code. Huber utilized these existing models to avoid historical pitfalls while incorporating indigenous Swiss material. The code’s section on the law of associations, for example, is similar in form to the German model.13
Greece: The German Civil Code has been a significant influence on the private law of Greece, helping to shape its legal development within the broader European civil-law tradition.1