About Nagoya University

Nagoya University (NU) was first founded in 1871 as a temporary hospital and medical school on the site of a local feudal council building in Nagoya. After undergoing several transitions, NU received its charter as a Japan’s seventh Imperial University. After 1949, in the comprehensive post-war reform of the nation’s educational system, Nagoya University was given a leadership role in the Chubu region. It has since grown into one of the leading national universities in Japan. In April 2004, Nagoya University was reformed as a “National University Corporation”. This transition to National University Corporation status has made it possible to manage the University under the strong leadership of the President founded upon university-wide consensus while still continuing to respect the independence and unique features of each school and department.

Throughout its history, NU has maintained a free and vibrant academic culture. Conducting research and education on all aspects of human beings, society, and nature, the university pursues its goal of contributing to the well-being and happiness of humankind. As an educational institution, NU aims at cultivate leaders with genuine courage and intellect. We call such leaders “Yuuki-aru chishiki-jin”; social contributors endowed with the powers of rational thought and creative imagination who have the ability to open up a new age.

The large and lush green campus of the University, only a short subway ride from the lively city center of Nagoya, provides a comfortable setting for students to focus on fulfilling ambitious goals and satisfying their thirst for knowledge. Today, NU is taking new steps to become a globalized university where students are able to acquire comprehensive knowledge, develop personal ethics and aspire to international careers.

Facts and Figures

• - Over 95% of our undergraduate students receive job offers prior to their graduation.
• - Six Nobel laureates in Japan since 2000 are from NU.
• - NU consists of 13 graduate schools, nine undergraduate schools, three research institutes and 19 inter-departmental education and research centers.
• - Student population consists of approximately 16,400 students including 2,641 international students -16% of students’ body.
• - Total population of academic staff is approximately 1,700, and administrative and technical staff and school teachers at affiliated junior and high schools number around 3,963.
• - NU has close to 465 academic exchange partners worldwide.

Introduction to Nagoya

Located in the center of Japan, Nagoya is the heart of the country's business and industrial network. Its rich natural and human resources draw numerous companies to house their headquarters or R&D centers in the region. Known as a technology powerhouse, Nagoya has a highly developed infrastructure. At the same time, the city is filled with cultural and modern design composes a uniquely attractive and convenient environment. This vibrant metropolitan city is surrounded by mountains and seashores, which provide outdoor and cultural activities all year round. The bled of energetic city and refreshing nature allows students to enjoy a versatile lifestyle in Nagoya.

The Graduate School of Law (GSL) has promoted the international cooperation project of the “ Asian Technical Legal Assistance “ for twenty years from 1998. It is to assist the development of legal systems in various Asian countries, which has been undertaking the transition to a market economy and constitutional and democratic nation-states.

As part of the project and to fulfill our educational and research mission as a leading center of legal and political study in Japan, GSL has established in 1999 an educational and training program of an English-taught “LL.M. (Comparative Law) Program in Law and Political Science.” It aimed for training the next generation of top Asian legalists who can contribute to nation-building through the constructing legal systems and providing education in law and expanding the legal professional networking among Asian countries. We expect that the Program will contribute to the human resources development in these countries and to create a structure for new networking potential among former students and provide feedback to GSL.

In this way, over the last 20 years, GSL has built a wide-range of the Asian legal network. In 2018, following the above programs and making the networking system sustainable, we have renamed the Comparative Law Program to the “Program for Expanding the Asian Legal Exchange Network”. Under this concept, the Program continues to train human resources in the legal arena who can develop and expand the Asian Legal Exchange Network.

We have accepted JDS participants from the targeted countries of Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Myanmar and China so far. The total number of JDS participants of our school is 205 (as of April 2020).

We are proud to count among our graduates, the staff of core ministries, judges, public prosecutors, counsel in significant corporations, active lawyers and progressive academics of the jurisdictions as independent legal professionals responding to the needs of their time, continuing to be engaged in the building of their nations, fulfilling their essential role in this new period as internationally-minded Asian leaders. A network has emerged among these graduates, created a structure for finding new talent, and for offering ongoing feedback to the faculty of our Graduate School generated a diverse and varied academic environment.

Our Program emphasizes a curriculum offering from fundamental grounding to specific areas in law and politics through classes conducted in English and the individual guidance of academic supervisors, along with a wealth of supports within the faculty and the University. Each student can immerse themselves in the joys of learning, while building strong bonds with fellow students from various nations and regions. In this way we seek to provide the conditions for our students to reach their full potential. Each year, overseas students who join our programs enrich us further by bringing with them the immediate experience of their countries of origin.

Objectives

The Master's degree at our school seeks to produce people endowed with high-level general and balanced abilities. The Program constructs the curriculum around the following elements:
(1) Broad and basic training in law and political science,
(2) Highly specialized research involving analyses of the situation in the student’s own country with a view to explore solutions,
(3) Studies in the principles of a just market economy, the rule of law, human rights, and democracy conducive to a market economy system,
(4) Acquisition of the abilities and techniques needed for theoretical and practical thinking,
(5) A system of collective and flexible individual guidance in the independent academic writing and the research methods needed for this, and
(6) The promotion of comparative research in group discussions with Japanese students.

Overview of the program

Study trip to the National Diet in Tokyo

Students enter Nagoya University in October of each year. Matched with a faculty supervisor, students begin their legal studies in the Master’s Program to deepen comparative understandings of laws and political system in Japan and that of students’ home countries.

In addition to the course obligations, students are required to set a practical research theme based on a systemic topic related to market economic development and to produce thesis from a comparative perspective. To progress with their research topic, students receive individual and specialized tutorials from a supervisor and get a group and staged guidance through an initial mandatory academic writing semester course followed by two semester-length courses. Thesis writing guidance is a significant component of our Program enhancing the abilities for self-initiated research, data collection skills, and methods of thinking and analysis.

The Program offers a Seminar on the “Japanese Judiciary Institutions” with onsite visits to judiciary institutions in Japan. The Seminar helps develop students’ insights and understandings of the legal system in Japan. Besides, students’ mentorship arrangement, private sector internship and a set of student-driven cross-national seminars (the Peer Support Initiative) complement the Program.

Along with the courses in legal domain, students can also take Japanese language courses at the Nagoya University International Language Center (ILC). Japanese language is the most common medium of expression both on campus and in everyday daily life. We, therefore, stress the importance of attendance for the first six months in the intensive introductory Japanese language study course at ILC.

Apart from regular courses, the legal practitioners and scholars from home and abroad are invited to give JDS special lectures. Under the JDS Special Program, study-away trips to various regions of Japan are offered, which aims at having JDS Fellows understand the actual conditions of Japanese society and culture which has supported the legal and political system of Japan.

Requirements of obtaining the Degree of Master of Laws (Comparative Law)

A Master degree requires students to attend the compulsory subjects which are in total 10 credits; Special Research I (two credits), Special Research II (two credits), and Academic Writing I (two credits). Completion of 30 credits of study and writing a Master's thesis in English under the supervision of academic staff are requisites to obtain a Master’s degree.

Regular courses are in a lecture, seminar and practice formats. In seminars, students are expected to prepare a research topic and present their findings to colleagues and faculty. Grades are assessed mainly from presentations and in class discussions. In addition to the courses listed below, the faculty recognizes certain subjects taught in the Department of International Cooperation Studies (DICOS) at the Graduate School of International Development (GSID) of Nagoya University as counting toward the degree. Recognition may be extended to other courses, if they are relevant to the candidate’s research. Such recognition requires specific faculty approval.

Courses taught through English language for the 2020 academic year (Reference)

備考／Note:

The academic year of 2020 begins in October 1, 2020 and ends in September 30, 2021.

• * Autumn Term (autumn term): October 1-March 31 / Spring Term (spring term): April 1-September 30/
• * One course for two credits holds 15 classes (90 minutes per class).
• * One intensive course holds 15 classes (90 minutes per class) for 3-4 days.
• * GSID is the abbreviation of the 'Graduate School of International Development' of Nagoya University
• * GSES is the abbreviation of 'Graduate School of Environmental Studies' of Nagoya University
• * Visit the following website for the outline of the lectures and seminars of our courses taught in English: (http://www.law.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/).

Courses Offered for the Completion of the Program for Leading Graduate Schools

[The Graduate School of Law introduced the "Cross-Border Legal Institution Design" program under the MEXT Program for Leading Graduate Schools (2011-2017). Those students who wish to have the official recognition on completion of the Program for Leading Graduate Schools when you complete a Master’s program are required to earn more than eight credits from the following courses, including required courses.]

(Graduated schools and awarded degrees, field of specialty and research interest)

Accommodation: Nagoya University Dormitories for International Students

Newly enrolled students from abroad are generally accommodated in one of the five university international residences: International Residence Higashiyama, International Residence Yamate, International Ohmeikan House, Ishida Memorial International Residence Myoken and International Residence Daiko, The period of residency in each residence is basically limited to six months, for the number of international students greatly exceeds the capacity available.
For further information of housings for international students at Nagoya University, visit the following of webpage:
http://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/academics/campus_life/housing/index.html

Law Library:

The Law Library placed in our School contains approximately 261,892 volumes of books in the field of law and political science, including approximately 110,830 volumes in foreign languages. An additional amount of Japanese issued periodicals and foreign journals in the field of law and political science are available in the University Central Library. The Law School Library, along with other satellite collections within the University, is covered by the OPAC system and, for older books, the comprehensive card catalog housed in the Central Library.

Computerized Service:Wireless Internet access is available for all students on campus.

The University Library:

The University Library, which processes all library materials and maintains the union catalog of all books and journals in the university, offers circulation and a book detection by an ID card system, and reference services, including inter-library loan, photocopying and computer-based information retrieval.

For language education and other educational and research purposes, the University Library has access to satellite TV channels, including CNN news, CCTVa, and KBSa.

The Central University Library contains 1,000 reading desks in the open-stack area. Group study rooms, seminar rooms, an information corner, and an audio-visual room are also available. For further information, please visit the webpage:
http://en.nagoya-u.ac.jp/about_nu/admin/sch/deta/nul.html

Within your application, the Research Proposal is of critical importance to the admission decision. The application is the basis of the initial document screening. Still, beyond that, it plays an essential role in shaping the interview for applicants who reach the final stage. It can have a determinative effect both on the selection.

Accordingly, you are well advised to take particular care in the drafting of the Research Proposal within the framework of the issues of the JDS project in Uzbekistan. Describe your interests, research objectives and originality clearly and well-reasoned.

When reviewing your Research Proposal or conducting interviews, the following factors will be at the forefront of our thinking:

1) Is there evidence of enough foundation knowledge and research skills to begin work on substantive research immediately upon entering into the study in the Graduate School? The reviewers are concerned with both general knowledge and experience in the field of law and specialized skills and knowledge necessary to the proposed topic. Are you familiar with the prominent scholars in the area? Are you aware of recent trends? Do you have a sense of the critical issues in the area, and are you able to relate them to a broader context?
2) Is there a clear, concise, and meaningful research topic? Setting the purpose and objective of a project is one of the most challenging tasks in research.
3) Is the topic you propose a good fit for research in Japan? While your proposed issue of a point may concern international matters or the laws of third countries, the reviewers are looking for its connections with Japan, and if it fits the research environment in Japan.
4) Do you know the basic outlines of Japanese law, politics and public administration? What is Japan's position or experience within your topic area?
5) Suitability for supervision
Have you investigated our faculty members? Information on our Program and our staff are available on the Website of our School. Members of our faculty publish their articles and books in English, Japanese and other languages. Try to be aware of our work and familiarize yourself with the work of members of our faculty who specialize in your chosen area.
Please refer to the profile of our professors* page of the Website of our school.

* http://www.law.nagoya-u.ac.jp/en/faculty_members.html%20

In closing, we would stress that, whatever the result; your choice to apply to our Program presents an opportunity for learning and personal growth. We encourage you to do your best in preparation, and challenge the application process with skill and effort.