People :
The All-Japan Student Law Debate Contest Winner of the Argumentation Division
Ms. Asako Miyajima

Asako Miyajima She was born in Yamanashi Prefecture, in 1983, and graduated from Koufu Minami High School. She is now a senior in the School of Law, and belongs to Professor Junichi Honda’s seminar. Her hobby is reading, especially detective stories and historical novels. Her favorite author is Miyuki Miyabe.

A team consisting of nine students from the Sohokai, a law club, entered the 54th All-Japan Student Law Debate Contest, a contest organized by the All-Japan Law Student Association, a student-run body. Miyajima acted as the representative arguer, while the other eight members devoted themselves to their roles as tutors, assisting Miyajima in the actual contest.

In this year’s contest, the assigned question - given out beforehand - was a problem concerning promissory notes, in the field of commercial law. First, the members did research on this topic. Miyajima looked up similar precedents, then the precedents quoted in the precedents she had looked up and the theories involved, making a notebook filled with comments such as, “This moved me very much!” Miyajima said, “Because of the coherent nature of law, the joy you feel when the cause and effect come together and fall in line is amazing!” Based on the source material, the nine members argued from their differing points of view until they were fully satisfied, and thus they made the argumentation more precise. In the actual contest, the 10-minute argumentation by the representative person was judged by a panel consisting of professors and professional lawyers. “Sometimes, as each university takes their turn in making speeches, we see the mistakes we have made in our prepared argumentation. But the important thing is to face the question time with confidence.” Miyajima, who was the president of the student council in elementary school and junior high, and who had hosted the debate as one of the organizers last year, gave the impression of being active and assertive. In this debate, points are taken off for exceeding the time-limit, but Miyajima used her time well, speaking for 9 minutes and 51 seconds. "I was able to calmly make it through the whole thing," she recalled.

Finally, Miyajima’s argumentation was awarded the coveted first place, as the unique viewpoint from which she argued was evaluated highly by the judges. Amidst the loud applause, Miyajima was so moved and emotional that she could not stand up. “I was so proud that this team had won. I wanted to split the trophy into 9 pieces, because it was something we’d won together”, she recalled once again, showing emotion at the memory.

“Whatever the conflict is, you can always find a solution for it in a court of law. The law is what our everyday life is based on”, she says. Right now, she works part-time at a law office, and speaks passionately of her future goals ? first studying at a law school, then becoming a lawyer. She is headed straight for her dreams. Her satisfying, law-filled days are set to increase.