Kansai University was founded as Kansai Law School in November 1886,in a large commercial city of Osaka. Its founders were six judicial officers who were in the service of the then Osaka Court of Appeal.
In the early 1870s, the Ministry of Justice established its own law school. Western legal concepts, including that of human rights, were introduced into Japan by distinguished foreign scholars engaged in the Ministry. The founders of Kansai Law School had all studied at this law school, under a French jurist Boissonade de Fontarabie *1. The ideas of individual rights and legal processes independent of central government control were new to Japan. Ever since they had studied under Dr. Boissonade, they have been feeling that these ideas were vital to “new” Japan. In order to spread the ideas of independent judiciary and human rights throughout the nation, they considered it necessary to establish system of law. From this sense of mission sprung up the idea of founding a law school. Then, they sought and received assistance and cooperation from their superior Kojima Korekata *2, who later became the Chief Justice of Japan’s Supreme Court, and Doi Michio, President of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Thus Kansai Law School made its start as the first law school in Osaka. The founders taught that laws are to be applied to all citizens and that citizens can/should defend their own rights by means of law. This became the origin of the university’s academic tradition of nurturing affections towards justice and concern for protection of individuals’ freedom.
Thanks to the support and trust from the public, our institution has been developing and diversifying steadily since then. In 1905, the institution was granted the title of “Kansai University”, and subsequently in 1922, its main campus moved to the present and more extensive site in Suita (a suburb of Osaka), thus paving the way for later growth. In accordance with educational reforms carried out soon after the end of the World War II, Kansai University established four faculties of Law, Letters, Economics and Commerce, expanding its scope of education.
At present, Kansai University runs seven faculties within its undergraduate Day School and five faculties (Engineering and Informatics being excepted) within its undergraduate Evening School. It also runs Graduate Studies in all seven Faculties, plus an independent Graduate School staffed by members of its Institute of Foreign Language Education and Research. In 2006, Kansai University will celebrate the 120th anniversary of its foundation.
Kansai University established its school of law in April 2004. With a long tradition of legal education at Kansai University, it is expected to be one of the leading law schools in the nation. Kansai University School of Law offers two-year and three-year courses for a Juris Doctor degree. The student quota of a year is set at 130 (70 for two-year course and 60 for three-year course). The faculty of twenty-nine full time professors and more than ten practicing lawyers teach the students. Its curriculum is designed to provide general comprehensive legal education and to offer many opportunities for specific areas of study. It offers basic legal classes such as constitutional, civil, criminal and commercial laws as well as various up-to-date classes such as intellectual property and media laws. All students are required to take either Legal Clinic or Externship at law firms.
