Waseda Law SchoolWaseda University

Kazunori

Matsumura

Throughout its history, Waseda University has set itself the goal of placing talented independent individuals into every corner of society and has been hugely successful in this endeavor. When judicial reform was undertaken and society demanded a larger pool of legal professionals, naturally the spotlight was cast on Waseda, which has 120 years of experience in educating legal professionals.

In today’s increasingly complex society, legal professionals encounter many difficult issues, and simply increasing the number of lawyers will not meet society’s demands for competent legal services. Legal professionals need to be further specialized, and in addition, it is crucial to remove those who are incapable of making the most of their titles and licenses. The aim of legal education is to create qualified professionals who can make precise decisions to meet social demands. In order to respond to society’s requirements for qualified professionals, Waseda has established a law school with new, highly distinguished, state-of-the-art facilities.

In reality, each students has his or her own reasons for studying law. While some students study to gain practical knowledge with an aim of working for industry-leading businesses such as those in the finance and information technology sectors, others wish to devote themselves to helping the weak in society who have been waiting to receive appropriate legal services. The public demands that our progressive institutions make use of society’s dynamic population and networks, as well as to train “legal professionals who will strive”; however, we must not forget it even when we are dealing with important issues.

Waseda Law School has created the optimal environment for teaching and learning in order to provide education that satisfies students’ needs. Students are expected to make the best use of our resources to improve their skills and mental abilities, assets that are in great demands in the legal profession.

We teach our students to develop ambitious, striving spirits that will allow them to hold “an ideal of all time without forgetting the present”, to borrow a phrase from Waseda’s Alma Mater. A legal professional who can make serious commitments to society is a person who can meet this challenge.

As ten years have passed after the establishment of Law School, we have just planned the “Next 10” in 2014, which is the compass for us to follow. With this Plan, we shall overcome some serious problems, and provide more comfortable environment and support for students with the aim of becoming “challenging legal professional”.