Build Postgraduate Law Schools in Kyoto, and Will They Come - Sooner and Later?

Nottage, Luke R.

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Build Postgraduate Law Schools in Kyoto, and Will They Come - Sooner and Later?

Australian Journal of Asian Law, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 241-263, 2005

Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 07/29

27 Pages Posted: 15 May 2007

See all articles by Luke R. Nottage

Luke R. Nottage

The University of Sydney - Faculty of Law; The University of Sydney - Australian Network for Japanese Law; University of Wollongong

Abstract

This paper critically assesses many issues that have arisen or become more visible since new postgraduate 'law schools' got underway in April 2004 in Japan, focusing on those in Kyoto - a major centre of learning. It re-emphasises serious design flaws in the original reform proposal but notes some more promising tendencies subsequently. It argues that the new system remains unstable and inherently problematic for teachers, students, and the broader community. The paper concludes by proposing more thoroughgoing reforms, driven more by educators and a broader array of stakeholders. An Epilogue reinforces these observations with a preliminary analysis of the results of the first new National Bar Examination open to students from Law Schools throughout Japan, announced in late 2006.

Keywords: Japanese law, comparative law, legal education

JEL Classification: K10, K19

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Nottage, Luke R., Build Postgraduate Law Schools in Kyoto, and Will They Come - Sooner and Later?. Australian Journal of Asian Law, Vol. 7, No. 3, pp. 241-263, 2005, Sydney Law School Research Paper No. 07/29, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=986529