Go Forward

Dean's message

 Meiji Law School, the predecessor of the Meiji University School of Law, was founded in 1881 by the three young law scholars Tatsuo Kishimoto, Kozo Miyagi, and Misao Yashiro, who empathized with the philosophy at the foundation of modern law established by the French Revolution. More specifically, they took “rights and liberty” and “independence and self-government” as the founding principles of the School, which was aimed at helping modern European law to take root in Japan and protecting the rights and freedoms of the Japanese people.

 The School of Law fosters the development of lawyers embodying these founding principles and juriprudential researchers firmly upholding the related perspectives. Its objective also includes the production of sound-minded adults with the jurisprudential grounding needed for making rules and applying them efficiently, in line with the legal principles originating with modern law, in organizations composed of many members distinctive to modern society. These organizations encompass everything from national and local governments to private enterprises and other groups. To attain this objective, it has striven to impart correct knowledge of law to students in a systematic manner, and to nurture the acquisition of a well-rounded education. It has a long record of outstanding achievement on these fronts. 

 The School of Law curriculum is based on literacy education to heighten fundamental skills required by responsible adults (in the areas of reading, writing, and presentation) and liberal arts instruction aimed at producing richly cultured adults. At present, it has five courses with classes considered both suitable for studies of legal frameworks and most effective for students in the paths of their choice. (The five courses are “Pre-Law School,” “Public Service Law,” “Business Law,” “International Relations Law,” and “Law and Information.”) For adaptation to the worldwide trend of globalization, the School also has a wealth of classes in foreign-language education and instruction provided in foreign languages. In addition, the School of Law offers seminar-type classes, which are indispensable for imparting the high-level expertise of teachers, who are also researchers. It has a long tradition of holding seminars with a small number of students, in order to heighten the education effect. We hope that each and every seminar will give every student a keen realization that academic research is a wonderful endeavor brimming with the joy of learning. 

 For most of our students, the four years spent in the School of Law will be their last schooling in the process of transition from the classroom to professional employment. I earnestly hope that, over the next four years, you will develop your own values and keen vision for insight into society, and also fully acquire the specialized knowledge and intelligent technology needed for life in today’s society, so that you can lead a fulfilling life after your graduation.

UENO, Masao