MESSAGE FROM DEAN

Hiroyuki Banzai

Welcome to the website of the Waseda University Graduate School of Law.

The Graduate School of Law is an international hub for nurturing legal scholars and legal professionals. Among the Graduate School’s alumni are legal academics who have led their fields in Japan and around the word, as well as outstanding professionals in law, politics, government, business, and other fields.

Our graduate school is one of the largest law graduate schools in Japan, with a faculty large enough to cover a wide range of legal disciplines. Our impressive scale is matched by our commitment to the quality of education. Students receive research guidance from faculty members who are leaders in their respective academic fields.

We also have a high proportion of international students from Northeast Asia, the United States, Europe, Oceania, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and other regions. This creates a global environment in which students from different backgrounds collaborate and learn from one another. The presence of such an international research environment exists demonstrates the Graduate School’s competitiveness not only in Japan but also on the global stage.

Graduate education goes beyond acquiring knowledge. It is an opportunity to learn how to find solutions to problems for which no ready-made answers exist.

Law, as an academic discipline, focuses on approaches to solving problems encountered in everyday life. Real-world disputes have complex backgrounds and lack clear-cut solutions. No matter how many legal treatises or online resources one consults, a ready-made answer to such problems cannot be found. That is why our students study legal theories and judicial precedents established across history. However, “study” here does not simply mean acquiring the knowledge and comprehension needed to pass an exam. Rather, it means engaging in academic research in the broader sense: drawing on the accumulated wisdom of humanity and applying it to complex real-world problems in order to develop solutions that are equitable and compelling.

Such research skills must be accompanied by high standards of integrity and a sound, analytical legal mindset.

We are now in an age when AI can provide answers  based on a certain level of specialized knowledge. AI is expected to replace humans in an increasing number of tasks. As AI becomes increasingly integrated into society, legal professionals must have the expertise and integrity to harness AI effectively. I hope that your studies at this Graduate School will equip you with the expertise and integrity needed to become professionals who can use AI effectively.

This Graduate School will continue to draw on the discipline of law to address the challenges Japan faces as an increasingly globalized and digitalized country.

Whether you are interested in becoming an academic researcher or wish to enhance your career as a legal professional, I hope that you will choose the Waseda University Graduate School of Law and take on these challenges together with us.