Studying and/or Researching Law and Politics at Kanazawa UniversityIntroduction

Kanazawa University has over 150 years of history, and offers an excellent
environment for academic study to more than 10,000 students including
hundreds of international students. Kanazawa University has many colleges
and graduate schools in the fields of various social and natural sciences, andUniversity Hospital and other institutes. The students majoring in Law and Politics
at Kanazawa University are selected through the entrance examinations inadmission, and the students are offered abundant opportunities to pursue theiracademic study as well as the social and cultural activities. After graduation, theycontinue to study in graduate school or begin to work as leading professionals inpublic and private organizations. We hope many more international students will
join this exciting academic life in our beautiful city of Kanazawa.
We Support Students Studying and Researching Law and Politics
he members of the Faculty of Law are eminent scholars each in a particulardiscipline conducting researches and also contributing to society throughtheir legal professions, and we teach and advise the undergraduate students
in the Bachelor’s Program, as well as the graduate students in the Master’s Program,Doctoral Program, and Law School. The Faculty of Law consists of about 50
professors and associate professors, many of whom (about 60%) are in charge ofteaching students in the School of Law (undergraduate program), Division of Law &Politics (master’s program), and Division of Human and Socio-EnvironmentalStudies (doctoral program). Some of the faculty members (about 30%) are in chargeof teaching students in the Law School (graduate school for bar exam candidates),
and the remainder of them are in charge of teaching students in other schools anddivisions (mainly the School/Division of International Studies).

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Why Kanazawa?

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anazawa is one of the most beautiful cities in Japan. Located on the Sea ofJapan (“East Sea” in Korean ), Kanazawa is an ancient castle town that during
the Tokugawa Period (1603-1867) was the administrative center of the Kaga
Domain, the largest and most wealthy fiefdom in the entire country.
Kanazawa did not suffer from bombing in the Second World War. Therefore, it has
maintained rows of historical houses and has inherited a wealth of traditional
handicrafts and performing arts. UNESCO appointed Kanazawa to the CreativeCities Network in 2009, which the organization launched to promote international
cooperation and exchange among world cities that have developed creative andcultural industries.
Today’s Kanazawa is a medium-sized and comfortable city. It has a population of
463,000 (as of 2012) with many parks and colleges. In this community, extraemphasis has been placed on education, and the cultural level of the citizenry ishigh. Students take classes at the Kakuma Campus located in the suburbs ofKanazawa. After class, they can enjoy the nightlife of the Morinosato district, just in
front of the campus, or Korinbo, in the city.
Kanazawa is an ideal city for international students to get the most out of their timein Japan.
Program for Exchange Students from Sister Universities of Kanazawa University
anazawa University has more than 100 sister universities. With many of them,Kanazawa University has concluded university-wide agreements for student
exchange. Furthermore, the School of Law at Kanazawa University has
initiated its own department level student exchange programs, a noteworthy
example being the agreement made with the College of Law at National ChengchiUniversity in Taipei, Taiwan. Exchange students stay at Kanazawa University asnon-degree students. Japanese ability is not necessary for exchange students ofLaw if they are able to attend courses taught in English. Moreover, Kanazawa
University offers a variety of Japanese language courses, which can be taken not
only by degree students but also by non-degree students.

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Fees and Scholarships
dmission and tuition Fees are subject to change. Therefore, please refer to theKanazawa University website for the most current information. Degreestudents with financial difficulties who are enrolled in the undergraduate or
graduate courses are eligible to apply for tuition exemption (full or half) if they
demonstrate an exemplary academic record. Admission and tuition fees of
exchange students are waived.
Various organizations support scholarship programs for international students
through Kanazawa University. Please see our website for more information on
opportunities available to international students at Kanazawa University.
Students in master/doctoral programs generally have the opportunity to serve as
Teaching/Research Assistants and receive compensation from KanazawaUniversity.

ADivision of Law and Politics, Graduate School of Law (Master's Program)
History
he Graduate School of Law at Kanazawa University (Master's Course) wasestablished in 1971 to provide students with the opportunity to deepen theirstudy and understanding of Law and Politics through seminars and conduct
researches under the advice of the members of the Faculty of Law. In April 2006,
under the plan to organize and strengthen the Doctoral Courses, the Graduate
School of Law (Master’s Course) was incorporated into the Graduate School of
Human and Socio-Environmental Studies as the Division of Law and Politics. In April
2020, the Graduate School of Law was re-organized, and the new Graduate Schoolof Law is composed of the Division of Law and Politics (Master’s Course) and theLaw School. We offer various opportunities to students eager to learn and research
law and politics for his/her future career of various choices in the fields of law andpolitics.

TProgram
Overview
he Division of Law and Politics of the Graduate School of Law consists of 2courses. Research Course and Professional Course. The degree that can beobtained in both courses is Master of Law or Master of Politics.
Research Course is for the future academic researchers specialized in the field oflaw and politics, and it consists of 4 programs: Basic Science of Law Program,
Public and Social Law Program, Private Law Program, and Politics Program. The
study of basic law has the role of building a foundation of positive law throughresearch on the concepts of law, history, foreign laws, and so on. The study of publicand social law is for understanding interpretations of the law as related to the nation,
local governments, and civic life. The study of civil law has the task of understanding
interpretation of law that discipline human environments, and various law between
civilians such as business law and family law. In politics, students look at both theideal and the reality of politics making full use of scientific examinations along withMaster degree
Division
CourseProgramthat can beobtained
Basic Science of Law Program
Public and Social Law Program Master of Law
Research
Division ofPrivate Law Program
CourseLaw andPolitics Program
Master of Politics
Politics
Professional
Master of Law
CourseMaster of Politics

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an understanding of the history of politics, philosophy, and the functions of media.
Kanazawa University is home to professors of various fields mentioned above. Withthe advice from the supervising professors, graduate students can enjoy theopportunity to conduct their own creative studies to widen their horizons andchallenge the status quo within the academic community and actual practice.
Professional Course is suitable for those students seeking a future career of legal
and political professionals in practice, such as a legal assistant, staff of the legal
division in corporations, public administrator, etc. In the Professional Course,
students can study the practical legal questions and policy making in order to enrich
his/her knowledge for solving actual legal and political problems in society. We offer
many lectures and seminars relating to law and politics that are useful in actual
practice.
We offer courses and various programs to support the students wishing to pursue
their dream for various career and interests. Every lecture and seminar in theDivision of Law and Politics is given to a small group of students; therefore, faculty
members can flexibly set the contents of the lectures and seminars to suit theneeds of the participants.
Credits Arrangement
he curriculum of the division of Law and Politics is very flexible, so eachstudent can design his/her own curriculum that is best in pursuit of his/herparticular research goals. Altogether, 30 credits (one course in a semester: 2credits) are required. Students may also choose to take few subjects taught inanother division of the Graduate School of Human and Socio-EnvironmentalStudies.

TSpecial Subjects for International Students
Introduction to Japanese Law
he Division of Law and Politics offers two lectures in “Introduction to JapaneseLaw” for international students. Each lecture is taught by a faculty member,where one of these is in English and the other is in Japanese. Through theselectures, students can get an outline of Japanese Laws.

TBasic Lecture
oreover, international students whose level of Japanese is sufficient tounderstand lectures taught in Japanese may audit undergraduate lectures.
In this case, on condition that he/she receives the guidance of the faculty
member giving the chosen lecture, the student can earn credits of “Basic Lecture I,
II or III” of the Division of Law and Politics.

MTeaching Language
ome subjects are taught in English. Students whose major is one of thesesubjects may write his/her master’s thesis in English. Other subjects aretaught in Japanese.

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Requirements for Earning Master’s Degree
aster of Law or Master of Politics is awarded to students who are enrolled
at least two years (one year for those earning exceptional grades), haveearned at least 30 credits, and have submitted an acceptable master’s
thesis (for those students in Research Course) or research paper (for thosestudents in Professional Course) written under the guidance of a faculty member.
Admission
Entrance Examination in English
he Division of Law and Politics offers an entrance examination prepared inEnglish for international students applying to our master’s degree program inJuly. By offering an examination in English, we hope to recruit talented anddiligent students committed to pursuing a post-graduate degree at a Japanese

Tuniversity but whose level of Japanese proficiency remains insufficient to pass theregular Japanese language entrance exam. The examination consists of a written
examination on the academic major chosen by the examinee and an oral
examination. The applicants who successfully pass this entrance examinationenter the Graduate School in October of the same year or April the following year.
Entrance Examination in Japanese
he Division of Law and Politics offers an entrance examination in Japanese
for all students applying to our master’s programs twice yearly in July andFebruary. The examination is conducted in Japanese. It consists of a written
examination on the major subject chosen by the examinee and an oral examination.
The students graduated from the universities in Taiwan that have special
cooperative relation with the Kanazawa University, and from the Center of Japanese
Law Study and Research may take the special entrance examinations thatconducts the oral examination online.

TQuota of Enrolled Students
8 students per yearDivision of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies, Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies(Doctoral Program)

Historyince 1993, Kanazawa University has hosted a graduate school that can confer
the Doctor of Law and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Since the reorganization ofKU’s graduate schools in 2006, the Division of Human and SocioEnvironmental Studies has offered programs leading to the acquisition of theDoctor of Law and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

SProgram
Credits Arrangement
uring his/her residence in the doctoral program, the student must earn atleast 16 credits, 6 of which may be given by his/her supervisor. The student
must earn the remaining 10 credits from other faculty members (1 course =2 credits). With this regulation, we hope that a variety of faculty members will help
the student to improve his/her ability to carry out creative scientific research basedon different perspectives and disciplines.

DPublication of Articles
tudents are expected to publish at least two articles on his/her research topic
in journals before submitting his/her dissertation. “Human and SocioEnvironmental Studies,” published by the Graduate School of Human andSocio-Environmental Studies at KU, provides opportunities for students to publish
their articles. PDF files of articles published in this journal can be accessed on theInternet.

STeaching Language:
ome subjects are taught in English. Students whose major involves one ofthese subjects may write his/her dissertation in English. Other subjects aretaught in Japanese.

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Requirements for Earning Doctor’s Degree:
he Doctor degree is awarded to students who are enrolled at least three years(one year for those earning exceptional grades ), have earned at least 16
credits, and have submitted an acceptable dissertation written under theguidance of a faculty member.

Admission
Entrance Examination
he Division of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies (Doctoral program)holds an entrance examination, in July and February of each year, for all
students who have received a Master degree from a Japanese or foreign
university.

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Admission decisions on international students are based on the results of an oral
examination (in Japanese or English), submitted master’s thesis, and research plan.
Successful applicants applying in July enter the Graduate School in October of thesame year, and those applying in February enter in April of the same year.
Quota of Enrolled Students :12 per year

Law School (Graduate School for Candidates of National Bar Examination)

aw School is a postgraduate program closely modeled on the American postgraduate system. Graduation from a law school is currently the condition to sit
for the national bar examination. Kanazawa University established its Law
School in 2004 as one of the first such law schools in Japan. In 2020, the Law
School renewed its institution and incorporated the Division of Law and Politics andorganized as the Graduate School of Law (Master’s Course).

The Law School consists of a three-year program for students who have graduatedfrom undergraduate programs other than an undergraduate law program and atwo-year program for students who have graduated from an undergraduate law
program. The Quota of Enrolled Students of Law School at Kanazawa University is
25 per year. The “Juris Doctor” degree is conferred to graduates of the Law School.

Contact Information
School of Law (undergraduate program) and Division of Law & Politics (master’s program):
Office of Student Affairs, Section for Law and Economics, Kanazawa University
Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, JapanFax: +81-76-264-5468
e-Mail: n-hkgaku@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Division of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies (doctoral program):
Office of Student Affairs, Section for Graduate School of Human and Socio-Environmental Studies, Kanazawa University
Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
Fax: +81-76-264-5468
e-Mail: n-gakind@adm.kanazawa-u.ac.jp
Website of Kanazawa Law:
https://law.w3.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/