Department of Law
We foster the abilities to reevaluate and resolve issues from a legal viewpoint and to create better-ordered social systems
Imagine what conflict resolution would be like in a society without laws. Outcomes would surely favor the powerful, and not just the physically strong but those with the financial resources to hire soldiers. A mafia movie may also give you some idea. The scenario would be quite dystopic. Laws exist to prevent people from relying on physical forces to resolve conflicts. While we may not live in an ideal world, laws are a crystallization of wisdom for building a better world.
Distinctive Features of the Department 1 / The Department of Law is for mastering the disciplines needed for handling legal matters
The field of law is not exclusive to legal professionals such as lawyers, judges, and prosecutors. There are numerous specialized roles deeply rooted in law, including national and local government officials, judicial scriveners, and corporate legal experts. The foundation of legal knowledge is also invaluable in engaging with society through NGOs or navigating everyday civic life. In the Department of Law, students acquire the fundamental knowledge necessary to build this essential foundation.Every academic field has its own "discipline", the core body of fundamental knowledge. However, the discipline of Law is particularly well-established, as compared to fields like literature or sociology. By mastering this discipline, students develop the skills to understand and analyze various domestic and international issues from a legal perspective.
Distinctive Features of the Department 2 / The Department of Law also offers advanced learning based on foundational knowledge of law
The Department places significant weight on essay-style examinations in order to make sure that students acquire fundamental knowledge of law. However, the Department also offers small-sized classes as an advanced learning environment. With a limited number of participants in each class, students learn that there are no predetermined answers to any social issue through group discussion and debate. Small-sized classes are also beneficial to accommodate individual students’ academic interests. The Department of Law strives to not let students be confined to certain specialized fields, but rather to enable students to broaden their horizons and to wield skills in problem assessment, problem-solving, conflict prevention, and social system-designing.
Distinctive Features of the Department 3 / The Department of Law produces graduates who go on to work in a wide range of fields
For students aspiring to enter the legal profession, we offer a robust support system, including a dedicated "Legal Professional Program". This path prepares students to enter law school and take the bar exam. Legal expertise is also indispensable for those pursuing careers as civil servants, judicial scriveners, or corporate legal specialists. In the private sector, the law is highly relevant to industries such as finance, banking, and insurance. Regardless of the field, the analytical strength cultivated through legal studies, is in high demand. Our graduates are active contributors to a wide range of sectors, including government, private enterprise, and NGOs.
Who is This Department For ?
It is often said that you study something that has a single correct answer in a high school, while you study something that has no correct answer in a university. This is generally true in the sense that there is often no single right answer to issues dealt with in legal education. However, there are definitely wrong answers. The national bar examination, the standard test on knowledge of law, is established to measure one’s ability to reach the point where right and wrong are decided without setting foot on the wrong side. The only way for you to train this ability is to build knowledge step by step. Although flashes of genius may do wonder, students who can put in steady effort will be especially well-suited for the Department of Law.
Four-Year Curriculum (offered in Japanese only)
For details about the Legal Professional Program, see ”Legal Professional Program and Early Graduation System”
Message from Academic Staff
Can the state be allowed to confine citizens in "cages"?
Professor Kentaro Kobayashi;Courses to teach : Criminal Law
The title above may startle many of you. A state confining citizens in cages? Although hard to believe, it is an undeniable reality. For instance, if you harm someone without justification, you will be tried by the state. If you are pronounced guilty, you will be sent to prison: in other words, you will be put in a cage. Why is such an act permitted?
You may think, "It’s obvious; if you do something bad, it is only natural that you will be punished." However, unlike divine punishment, it is not inherently "obvious" that the state can punish its citizens. This is because, as you may have learned in junior high or high school, according to the concept of “social contract theory,” the state is permitted to exercise its force only to protect the freedom and safety of its citizens.
In that case, what benefit would the citizens receive by incarcerating the person who inflicted harm? Would the victim's wounds heal by doing that? Of course not. Would the victim's family find closure? Not necessarily, because some victims have no family to begin with. Therefore, justifying the state’s authority to confine citizens requires a difficult and rigorous logical argument.
In the Criminal Law course that I teach, we would be tracing the very roots of how the state's punitive power is justified. We would examine the complex legal theories constructed by our predecessors over years to ensure that this power is never abused. However, since this is a fundamental and abstruse field of law, it is also perhaps the most u npopular s ubject among law s tudents nationwide. Nevertheless, it is a subject profoundly worth studying.
I would be overjoyed if even one of you thinks, "Hey, hearing this actually arouses my interest," and joins me in my class to study this subject together.
