"Law has exploded", "Law has gone crazy" and other voices have emerged in an endless stream, making "Law", a major that does not touch a little mathematics and purely relies on knowledge to change its destiny, has attracted more attention!
Japan and China are both civil law countries, so studying in Japan has also become the first choice for law students! So today, Xiaoyuan will explain in detail to the students this "law", one of the majors with high technical barriers in the Japanese humanities and social sciences graduate school!
01
What is included in Japanese jurisprudence?
From the perspective of subject setting, there is not much difference between Japanese law and Chinese law, civil law, commercial law, intellectual property law, criminal law, labor law, legal history and other departmental laws are included, and civil law, commercial law, and intellectual property law are the mainstream subjects for Chinese international students.
Like China, Japan is a civil law system and a statutory law country, but Japan is also influenced by common law, and judges can cite cases as the basis for adjudicating cases, so it has the characteristics of case law, thus constituting a unique legal system in Japan.
In the following, we will take the University of Tokyo (National) and Keio University (private) as examples to introduce the specific classifications of Japanese law.
●Graduate School of Law and Political Science, The University of Tokyo
As shown in the figure below, the Graduate School of Law and Politics at the University of Tokyo is divided into two categories: the Department of General Law and Politics and the Cultivation of Law.
Among them, the comprehensive law and politics major includes three major majors: 実定法, basic law, and politics. Most students who choose this major choose to continue their doctoral studies after graduating from the seminary or participate in job hunting activities directly after graduation.
Honjo is a course designed for students who aspire to become lawyers by passing the Japanese Bar Examination, and students take various courses at the Graduate School of Law to prepare for the Bar Exam.
(2024 University of Tokyo Law and Politics Course)
●Graduate School of Law, Keio University
Keio University's Graduate School of Law has several major programs: civil law, public law, and political science.
Majors in civil law include: civil law, commercial law, civil procedure law, labor law, legal history, economic law, private international law, and intellectual property law.
The public law majors include: Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure Law, Criminal Policy, International Law, Administrative Law, Legal History, Economic Law, Tax Law, Labor Law, and Space Law Policy.
Political science majors include: public policy, journalism.
(2024年慶應義塾大学學學學の専攻分類)
02
You can apply for the examination of institutions and graduate schools
A detailed explanation of the law of popular universities such as Todai Ichibashi Waseda
Most Japanese colleges and universities have established graduate schools of law, and some schools separate international students by classifying them separately, exempting them from difficult written examinations and only testing students' academic abilities by means of book review + interview. The following is an inventory of major universities and graduate schools (popular schools are listed in red).
❶ Old Imperial University: Graduate School of Law and Politics at the University of Tokyo, Graduate School of Law at Kyoto University, Graduate School of Law at Osaka University, Graduate School of Law at Nagoya University, Graduate School of Law at Tohoku University, Graduate School of Law at Hokkaido University, and Faculty of Law at Kyushu University.
(Graduate School of Law and Politics, The University of Tokyo)
❷ Public universities: Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Law, Tokyo Metropolitan University Graduate School of Law and Political Science, Yokohama National University Faculty of International Social Sciences, University of Tsukuba Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (Social Person), University of Tsukuba Graduate School of Information Science (Intellectual Property Law), Kobe University Graduate School of Law.
❸ Kanto Private Schools: Waseda University Graduate School of Law, Keio University Graduate School of Law, Sophia University Graduate School of Law, G (Gakushuin University Graduate School of Law), M (Meiji University Graduate School of Law), A (Aoyamagakuin University Graduate School of Law), R (Rikkyo University Graduate School of Law), C (Chuo University Graduate School of Law), H (Hosei University Graduate School of Law), Nihon University Graduate School of Law, Toyo University Graduate School of Law, Senshu University Graduate School of Law, Komazawa University Graduate School of Law.
(Graduate School of Law, Waseda University)
❹ Kansai Private: Graduate School of Law, Kansai University Graduate School of Law, Graduate School of Law, Doshisha University, Graduate School of Law, Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of Law.
03
Who is suitable for the exam?
What is the difference between the domestic legal system and the Japanese legal system, and is it necessary to have a major in Japanese language?
The domestic legal system is the same as the Japanese legal system, and the Japanese legal system also melts the case law of the common law system, and the judges of the Japanese courts have a high enough legal literacy that the judgments made by the judges can be cited as reasons for the judgment of similar cases in the future.
This is different from the Chinese judicial system, which makes it necessary for students to focus on precedents that are linked to the law while studying statutory law.
However, in Japan, graduate students (master's programs) are not limited to law students who have an undergraduate degree in law, which means that non-undergraduate students can also change majors and apply for a graduate school of law and obtain a law degree.
However, due to the fact that the study of law requires a certain foundation in law, students who wish to apply for law need to read a large number of papers, textbooks and laws to learn relevant legal knowledge in advance to cope with the written examination and research plan.
At the same time, law is a subject that places great emphasis on the choice of words and sentences, so most institutions require students to have a certificate of qualification for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level 1 (or other written documents that can prove language proficiency).
04
How difficult is the entrance exam
Analyze from the aspects of pass rate, examination requirements, language requirements, professor requirements, etc
There is a certain threshold for preparing for a postgraduate law exam in Japan. From the point of view of pass rate, the enrollment ratio of upper schools is 10-20%, and that of upper middle schools is 20-25%. For students who have zero legal foundation or change majors, this is a cruel and realistic number.
The number of students charged by law majors is relatively small compared to other disciplines, and even some extreme schools would rather have 0 admissions this time than lower their standards. Therefore, for candidates with a weak foundation in law and law, it is particularly important to be proficient in the foundation of law to help students pass the ideal college.
(Graduate School of Law, Kyōying University)
In terms of the requirements of the exam, there are various forms of assessment:
1. Written test (foreign Chinese subjects - Japanese/English + specialized subjects) + interview;
2.笔试（专门科目）+面试；
3. Book review + interview.
When preparing for the written examinations of major colleges and universities, candidates need to train for past questions in previous years, consolidate the professional content and consolidate the basic knowledge through continuous rolling review. When preparing essays and research proposals, in the selection of topics, try to get as close as possible to the research direction of Professor Zhiwang in recent years, and refer to and quote Professor Zhiwang's papers or theoretical views.
The writing of the research proposal requires extensive and intensive reading of the prior research related to the selected topic. Read 10-20 papers extensively, then read 7-8 of them intensively, and polish your awareness of the problem.
So how can you get the favor of professors and qualify for the ideal college?
First of all, liberal arts majors do not require students to contact their professors in advance, and even contacting professors in advance is a red light behavior. Since the final interview is the final interview session, many students feel unconfident about their speaking or accent. I'm worried that I'm stumbling in front of the professor and not making sense of what I say.
Actually, there are professors who require high Japanese language skills, but most professors pay more attention to the ability of students to read and organize literature, because it is the basic ability to ensure that students can write a qualified master's thesis in the next two years.
This means that under the premise that the research proposal itself can be logically self-consistent and feasible, even if the oral ability is not satisfactory, you can still get the qualified letter in hand.
05
Preparation tips
Written exams, interviews, and book recommendations for exam preparation, etc
In terms of exam preparation, it is recommended that students draw a complete timeline for exam preparation before entering the study of law. There are two major examination seasons in a year, the first of which is summer and autumn (the application time is from May to August, and the examination time is from August to October). The second period is winter and spring (the application period is from November to December, and the examination time is from January to February of the following year).
Most schools hold two exams a year, but some schools only hold summer exams (e.g., Tokyo University, Morning University), and if you miss it, you have to wait until the following year. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare for revision by taking into account the application time and the examination time of the school you are applying for.
The first round of learning takes about 3-4 months, during which it is necessary to read through the textbook and grasp the overall framework of the sectoral law. Then, in the first round of revision, I began to read the textbook intensively while asking questions.
The subsequent 3 rounds, 4 rounds or even 5 rounds of review will be adjusted according to the individual's learning situation, and before the exam, you must be able to recite the content of the real questions you have answered to ensure that you can pass the written test.
In addition, how to choose exam preparation books is also an important issue. It is also a good choice to use textbooks for students who prefer to go to higher schools, and it is also a good choice to sell them at major bookstores, or to use the textbooks of Professor Shinobi.
In addition, it is also necessary to read a selection of 100 jurisprudence related to the subject of aspirations and a bibliography of explanatory books written by those in charge of filing the case after the reform of the law (e.g., "One Question and One Answer: Reiwa First Year Amendment to the Society Act").
Finally, the foundation of the study of law lies in the law, and mastering the position, content, and purpose of the law is the ability that every law student must master, so there is no need to repeat the necessity and importance of reading the Six Laws repeatedly.
The interview requires students to have the courage to speak and practice speaking in daily life, and the surprise practice before the exam can only allow students to master part of the interview skills, but it still requires persistent training to improve their speaking ability.
Of course, the interview training before the exam also includes the training of interview etiquette and other skills, and if you are proficient in using these skills, you will be able to calmly deal with all kinds of unexpected accidents. At the same time, it is also recommended that candidates listen to the news and audio recordings during the preparation process, so that they can calmly face the professor's questions during the interview.
(100 Selected Civil Law Precedents [7th Edition])
(Daily Six Laws)
After reading such a detailed introduction, have you made up your mind to prepare for this major, and do you want to hear the experience of those who have come before? I can't wait to know how to prepare for the exam next and what to do? Or if you still have doubts but have not been mentioned, it doesn't matter!
The Zhiyuan Law Teaching and Research Group has prepared a high-energy pilot course for you to help you clarify the key points and clarify your thoughts within two hours, and prepare for the subsequent preparation for the exam~ Students can contact Xiaoyuan to get the free course link!