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Law schools in Japan

This guide lists 3 law schools in Japan, in Tokyo and Kyoto. The oldest founding year given is 1877.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Read this first. This guide lists a short selection of law schools in each country, from our own knowledge, with how the first law degree is studied. It is not a ranking and not a recommendation. Schools merge, rename and change, a missing founding year means we are not sure of it, and entry rules and degrees differ by country, so check the school and the national authority before you rely on anything here. It is general information, not legal or educational advice.

How law is studied

Both routes

An undergraduate law degree (LLB, four years) and a two- or three-year graduate law school, the main route to the bar examination; a preliminary examination is the other.

Notable law schools

  • University of Tokyo, Faculty of Law

    Tokyo · Founded: 1877 · Main national faculty

  • Kyoto University, Faculty of Law

    Kyoto · Founded: 1897 · Notable

  • Waseda University, School of Law

    Tokyo · Founded: 1882 · Notable

A short selection, not a ranking and not complete. “Founded” is the year of the school or its university.

What to remember anywhere

  • This is a short list, not a ranking. We list a few schools per country by a stated fact: the oldest university where we are sure of it, the main national faculty, or a school with a famous history. A school that is not listed is not worse. Never choose a school from this guide alone.
  • Founded means the school or its university. The year is when the school, or the university it belongs to, was founded. In the old universities law was usually taught from the early years; in newer ones the law faculty may have opened decades after the university.
  • A law degree is not a licence to practise. In most countries a law degree is the first step. Becoming a lawyer, judge or notary usually needs more: professional training, a traineeship or pupillage, and an examination, and the rules differ by country and by profession. See our bar admission guide for how foreign lawyers qualify.
  • Some countries treat law as a graduate subject. In the United States, Canada, South Korea and the Philippines, law is mostly studied after a first degree. Most of the world, including Europe, Latin America, Africa and much of Asia, studies law as a first degree straight after school.
  • Names and structures change. Universities merge, rename and reorganise, and new law schools open. Check the school's own website and the national authority for the current name, entry rules and recognition of its degrees.

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More about Japan

Other countries in Asia and the Middle East

BangladeshCambodiaChinaHong KongIndiaIndonesiaIranIraqIsraelJordanKazakhstanKuwaitLebanonMalaysiaMongoliaNepalPakistanPhilippinesQatarSaudi ArabiaSingaporeSouth KoreaSri LankaTaiwanThailandUnited Arab EmiratesVietnam

TheLawToKnow Tools’s law schools guide is an educational overview and does not rank or recommend any school. It is not legal or educational advice. Report a mistake.