Meiji University was founded as Meiji Law School in 1881. As its original name indicates, the university has been dedicated to legal education ever since. Throughout history, it has produced numerous legal professionals as well as leaders across diverse fields grounded in legal knowledge. Building on this tradition of legal education, the Graduate School of Law was established in 1952 under Japan’s new postwar education system. Many of its graduates are now teaching law at universities, an accomplishment which we are very proud of.
Graduate school is often perceived as a path exclusively for future researchers. However, this is not the case. The Graduate School of Law currently offers two programs: the Legal Researcher Training Course and the Advanced Professional Training Course. The Legal Researcher Training Course is designed for those pursuing academic careers and aims to cultivate skills required for independent legal research. Students generally conclude the master’s program by writing a thesis. Those who advance to the doctoral course publish their research findings in the Graduate School’s academic journal Studies in Law, and ultimately submit a doctoral dissertation in fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree. The Advanced Professional Training Course aims to cultivate professionals capable of contributing to legal departments in public institutions and private corporations that require advanced legal expertise. Students in this course complete the master’s program by submitting a research paper, and graduates subsequently apply their specialized legal knowledge in a wide range of sectors.
What, then, sets graduate study, centered on research and the pursuit of advanced expertise, apart from undergraduate education? In the School of Law, undergraduate students primarily focus on acquiring foundational knowledge in the relevant field of study, such as constitutional law or criminal law. In many cases, academic achievement is assessed through examinations that require students to demonstrate their understanding of textbook content and classroom instruction. Seminars, of course, offer opportunities to gather materials, organize them into summaries, and present findings to peers. However, these activities generally build upon and apply the foundational knowledge acquired through lectures. In contrast, graduate school serves a different purpose. Building on the foundational knowledge gained at the undergraduate level, students further deepen their understanding through sustained intellectual exploration and pursue more specialized or advanced study beyond the undergraduate curriculum. Ultimately, they learn to refine specific research questions and present their own scholarly perspectives. To develop these skills, students must engage with diverse materials, including numerous scholarly articles, examine comparative perspectives such as foreign legal systems where appropriate, and hone the writing skills necessary to produce a well-crafted academic paper. The process may at times feel demanding or monotonous; yet the joy of discovering new perspectives and the sense of accomplishment upon completing a paper are truly irreplaceable. Moreover, research published in the Studies in Law may draw the attention of other scholars and be cited in their work – an outcome that is deeply encouraging for the author.
Our faculty members are engaged in various research fields and have achieved significant scholarly achievements. At the same time, they provide dedicated research supervision to cultivate capable professionals. The faculty will work together as a unified team to support your research after admission. In addition, students, including a notable number from overseas, inspire one another through vigorous discussion and shared encouragement.
In today’s rapidly changing world, legal studies are constantly influenced by social change. Therefore, there are many issues to be solved. It is precisely under such circumstances that the many challenges we face demand careful examination, offering abundant opportunities for meaningful research. All faculty and staff eagerly look forward to exploring diverse issues together and pursuing research activities.