Ayako Hirata is a professor of Law & Society at the Graduate Schools for Law and Politics, University of Tokyo. 

Her research focuses on the intersection of state power, street-level bureaucracy, and administrative law. She also explores the role of legal professionals and their public engagement. Her particular interest is in how laws are interpreted, reshaped, and mobilized at the forefront of the regulatory and welfare state. 

She earned her Ph.D. in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from Unversity of California, Berkeley.