Department of International Business Law
The Department is intended to develop talent that can serve to create bridges between Japanese companies and the world with a broad perspective and “legal mind”
The pace of globalization has been remarkable in the business world. An increasing number and volume of transactions between Japanese companies and companies abroad generates the need to prepare for legal disputes with parties who do not share the same language and culture as you. In the Department of International Business Law, students learn business transactions from a legal perspective, negotiation skills and ways of preventing and resolving conflicts. Our Department enables students to hone their legal knowledge, objective thinking and reasoning skills, which are called “legal mind,” and to become active participants in global businesses.
Characteristic of the Department 1 / Many courses are taught in English at the Department of International Business Law
One unique feature of the Department of International Business Law is that many specialized law courses are taught in English apart from those taught in Japanese. This is because of our Global Program (for more details, see page 4). Many law courses taught in English are also open to students who do not belong to the Global Program.
The Global Program accepts students through (a) a selective admission process for international programs (for Japanese students), (b) the Admissions by Document Screening (for international students), and (c) the Admissions for the PEACE Program (General Entrance Examination) (for international students). Students in the Department of International Business Law may also apply to transfer to the Global Program during the second semester of their first year.
The Global Program accepts students through (a) a selective admission process for international programs (for Japanese students), (b) the Admissions by Document Screening (for international students), and (c) the Admissions for the PEACE Program (General Entrance Examination) (for international students). Students in the Department of International Business Law may also apply to transfer to the Global Program during the second semester of their first year.
Characteristic of the Department 2 / The Department of International Business Law offers a full range of practical courses and career education
First-year students take introductory law courses. Second-year students may take courses from a category of courses named “International Business Law.” Courses in the category are designed to help students develop business negation skills and skills to solve and prevent conflicts useful for international businesses.
Career education is another strong focus of the Department. In the Introductory Seminar on Law (Future Skills Project) which is open for first-year students, students work in groups to try to resolve problems companies and local municipality governments face, and receive feedback from professionals who currently work in the relevant fields. From the second year on, several courses offer students opportunities to learn various business fields and the trends in the fields in order to design their own career paths.
Career education is another strong focus of the Department. In the Introductory Seminar on Law (Future Skills Project) which is open for first-year students, students work in groups to try to resolve problems companies and local municipality governments face, and receive feedback from professionals who currently work in the relevant fields. From the second year on, several courses offer students opportunities to learn various business fields and the trends in the fields in order to design their own career paths.
Characteristic of the Department 3 / The Department of International Business Law trains lawyers for the global stage
In the globalized business world, various conflicts constantly arise many of which take a form that has not been witnessed before. The purpose of the Department of International Business Law is to train individuals to become capable of facing such complex problems with the legal knowledge and skills acquired in the Department.
While Japanese companies doing business internationally will be the primary sources of employment for our graduates, considering that the curriculum of our Department has many specialized courses taught in English, learning at our Department will also be an advantage for those who wish to work at non-Japanese companies doing business internationally.
While Japanese companies doing business internationally will be the primary sources of employment for our graduates, considering that the curriculum of our Department has many specialized courses taught in English, learning at our Department will also be an advantage for those who wish to work at non-Japanese companies doing business internationally.
The Department is suitable for those who wish to…
Because many law courses are taught in English at the Department of International Business Law, the Department is suitable for those who wish to use English at work or work internationally in the future.
When working at a company, legal knowledge can be useful not only for preventing problems from arising but also for resolving problems, in case they arose, in a proper and favorable way.
Those who wish to become active participants in the international community should definitely come to the Department of International Business Law. Together with your peers, you can become a businessperson who carries weight in international society.
When working at a company, legal knowledge can be useful not only for preventing problems from arising but also for resolving problems, in case they arose, in a proper and favorable way.
Those who wish to become active participants in the international community should definitely come to the Department of International Business Law. Together with your peers, you can become a businessperson who carries weight in international society.
Four-Year Curriculum (offered in Japanese only)
For details on the Global Program, see "Rikkyo Law Global Program (provided in English)"
Message from Academic Staff
Acquiring wisdom, not knowledge
Eriko Taoka, Associate Professor of LawCourses to teach: Contracts and Comparative Constitutional Law
“Studying law is to acquire wisdom, not knowledge.” This is what a professor once said in class when I was a freshman in an undergraduate law department myself. Knowledge is information you find in a textbook, which you can acquire through memorization. In contrast, wisdom refers to the perspective and logical reasoning one applies and utilizes to deal with matters he/she encounters in his/her life. Wisdom cannot be acquired through rote memorization. It can only be acquired through an accumulation of experiences.
At the College of Law and Politics, over a period of four years, you will examine many kinds of conflicts and problems in society and constantly consider how to resolve them under the law. These vicarious experiences of social issues and conflicts and constant thinking processes will train your abilities to extend your imagination and put yourself in the shoes of other people. Furthermore, you will gain the creativity to come up with solutions that can properly reconcile the interests of those involved no matter what issues or conflicts you face.
The abilities to imagine and understand other people’s perspectives and different opinions, and to come up with solutions to reconcile competing interests and different opinions constitutes wisdom. Whatever career path you take after graduating from the College of Law and Politics, this wisdom will surely become useful, because you will encounter and continue to encounter various conflicts and problems in different situations. At such times, you will surely be able to draw upon your wisdom and guide people toward a solution that accommodates diverse and competing interests. When I was an undergraduate student like you, I did not clearly understand the difference between knowledge and wisdom. The difference became clearer over time. Now that I am on the teaching side like that professor who once gave me the wisdom, I’d like to pass the wisdom to you.
