Department of Current Legal Studies
Department of Juridical Studies
Department of Current Legal Studies
Department of Global Legal Studies
Department of Political Science
Utilizing the latest technologies to approach legal issues confronted in the real world
Consumer law addresses the rights and roles of consumers, corporate law addresses laws relevant to corporate activities, and environmental law addresses laws and policies to protect the global environment. Students in the Department of Current Legal Studies learn the basics of law before focusing their studies on these three cutting-edge legal fields. The department also emphasizes informatics, and cultivates thinking skills and proficiency in putting information to good use that will stand our students in good stead in an IT-based society.
Department of Current Legal Studies
Key Features of the Department of Current Legal Studies
Program Structure
Topics
Admission Policy
Key Features of the Department of Current Legal Studies
Point 01
Basic law + informatics, and then current laws
After students have acquired fundamental legal knowledge and approaches, as well as basic IT skills, their studies are centered around consumer, corporate and environmental law, areas that are of direct relevance to the business world they will encounter after graduation. In particular, the department offers unique practical courses which focus on consumer and environmental issues, fields that have not been addressed in depth even though they are of great importance in contemporary society.
Point 02
Small-group practical seminars in the first and second years on “everyday law x information”
Building on Data & Info Processing 1 and 2, Legal Data Processing is a required course in the first and second years. In order to study modern law, students learn computer skills to retrieve information and judicial precedents, as well as using computers to create presentations on social issues and expressing their opinions in discussions.
Point 03
A legal grounding to survive in the business world: Corporate law
Legal knowledge is required to compete fairly with other companies while protecting the interests of employees, and to develop business operations advantageously both domestically and internationally. Students study laws that are intimately connected with business, such as laws related to labor, competition (antitrust law), intellectual property, and international transactions.
Program Structure
In their first and second years, students acquire fundamental legal knowledge and approaches, and study the basics of three cutting-edge legal fields: consumer, corporate and environmental law. In small-group classes, they also refine their IT skills and acquire the ability to gather and disseminate documents and information related to the law. In their third and fourth years, students engage in the specialized and advanced study of law with a focus on the three legal fields. They acquire a high level of legal knowledge, and also develop an awareness of issues and the ability to solve problems via their self-directed learning in exercises.
Topics
Learning about past and present incarnations of environmental law and considering its future
Environmental Law: General Part
Students trace the history of previous laws, and survey and analyze the current law, in order to envision future laws related to environmental issues. We explore such topics as the type of legal system that has been formed in Japan to resolve environmental issues, its characteristics and challenges, the way of thinking that underpins it, and the kind of legal and policy measures that are utilized within it.
Learning in depth via actual on-site experience
Internship A, B
These internships are exclusive to the department. Students gain a deeper understanding of their subject by experiencing how the knowledge and theory they learned at university is utilized. This is an opportunity not only to develop the ability to respond appropriately in the field, but also to think about their future career path.
Typical examples
A: Consumer law related
Students spend time at local governments or consumer organizations where they gain various kinds of hands-on experience, ponder specific contemporary consumer issues with staff members, and create media such as educational videos.
B: IT related
Students spend time at IT-related companies where they gain various kinds of hands-on experience related to information processing, such as creating apps with generative AI, training on cutting-edge drones, and robot-related work.