Career Paths

Finding Employment

Faculty of Law graduates are employed in a number of different fields. A future filled with options inevitably follows a student experience filled with thorough study and expanded horizons.

Popular Careers After Graduation

■Corporate Opportunities

A company is an amalgam of people from various professions, including sales, human resources, general affairs, legal, and accounting. All positions require the same fundamental skills of comprehension, analysis, action, and communication. In addition to specialized courses, the Faculty of Law offers a wide variety of subjects. The broad insights gained in these courses and the intuition to ask the right questions and find solutions will be helpful in any job.
There are a wide variety of industries in the private sector, and as shown in the above chart, there are also a wide variety of employment opportunities. Many students each year gain new perspectives on various social issues through law and political science courses and develop an interest in jobs related to mass media. Keio University has established the Institute for Journalism, Media & Communication Studies for students who wish to work in the media industry, such as newspapers, broadcasting, news agencies, publishing, and advertising. Those who are accepted into the Institute following examination are able to conduct specialized research in addition to regular classes.

■Legal Professionals (Judges, Prosecutors, Attorneys)

Situations requiring legal expertise are numerous and complex, and there is a growing demand for high-quality legal professionals, whether they be general civil cases, including lawsuits, mediation, legal counsel, or corporate legal affairs to support Japanese companies looking to expand overseas.
The Keio University Law School has some of the highest numbers of successful bar exam candidates, and our graduates have gone on to have successful careers in the judiciary system, government agencies, law firms, the corporate world, and the global arena.
To enter the Law School, students must pass an entrance exam, and many Law School professors also serve as professors at the undergraduate Faculty of Law, allowing students to develop their legal thinking via offerings like seminars well before graduate school.

■Civil Service

In a rapidly changing society like ours, public officials must also possess a strong capacity for reform and flexible thinking. The abilities to think critically, recognize problem areas, and express informed opinions form a solid base for civil service. The Faculty of Law features an educational environment that cultivates these abilities in anyone willing to learn.
In addition to service to one’s country as a public servant, there are various other options befitting individual aspirations. Some graduates become specialized national ministry or agency experts, local government officials with administrative responsibilities, or international civil servants who work on the world stage to solve problems beyond national borders.
*The Keio University Faculty of Law is home to the Keio Institute of Law and Politics (KILP), which supports the study of law and politics outside of a classroom setting.
Trainees who have completed the requisite procedures can participate in seminars and workgroups that focus on diligent study towards the national civil service and judicial examinations.

Employment by Industry and Enrollment After Graduation

・Figures based in principle on the Plans After Graduation (shinro-todoke) submitted by candidates as of April 30, 2021.
・Includes those who graduated and/or completed programs in September 2020.
・Employment figures include considerations for those who move on to higher education.

Department of Law, Faculty of Law

  No. of people
Finance / Insurance 121
IT / Communications 67
Academic Research, Professional, and Technical Services 61
Manufacturing 44
Public Service (excluding Educational Public Service) 29
Wholesale and Retail 27
Real Estate and Goods Leasing 21
Service Industry 19
Transportation and Postal Services 15
Education / Academic Support 6
Electricity, Gas, Heat, and Water 5
Construction 3
Medicine / Welfare 3
Unclassified Industries 11
Individuals Advancing to Higher Education 118
Other 70
Total 620

Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law

  No. of people
Finance / Insurance 135
Academic Research, Professional, and Technical Services 110
IT / Communications 78
Manufacturing 59
Wholesale and Retail 56
Service Industry 28
Real Estate and Goods Leasing 27
Public Service (excluding Educational Public Service) 25
Transportation and Postal Services 16
Construction 12
Education / Academic Support 4
Electricity, Gas, Heat, and Water 3
Unclassified Industries 2
Individuals Advancing to Higher Education 27
Other 76
Total 658

Keio University Support Services

Job-seeking activities generally begin in the fall or winter of a student’s third year. Job-seeking itself is a valuable opportunity to reflect on yourself and think about your future. An ethos of independence and self-respect is manifested in job hunting, and Keio University has been called one of the “Top Universities for Employability” due to our performance every year. Keio University’s Placement and Career Services focus on the following areas of support.

Keio University Support Services

1. Employment and Careers Consultation

The Placement and Career Services section at each campus provides consultation on all aspects of career guidance.
The Mita Office of Student Services / Placement and Career Services is available to assist with resume and entry sheet revisions, as well as mock interviews.

2. Information Offerings

You can browse job postings received from companies, view company information, find company information sessions, and much more. In addition, there is a dedicated internal database for searching alumni contact information with an eye toward opportunities to visit our graduates in person, and you can read about former students’ job-hunting experiences online.
This valuable information is something that only Keio can provide.

3. On-Campus Job and Career Orientation

We hold several seminars, including introductory seminars on job hunting and career selection, job-hunting tips, drafting job applications, interview preparation, roundtable discussions by fourth-year students who have received job offers, as well as various lectures by economists and experts in the area.

Graduate School

After graduating from university, those who wish to pursue advanced specialized education in law and politics may wish to further their studies by entering the Graduate School of Law. In contrast, those who want to become lawyers or other legal professionals may seek to enter the Keio University Law School. The Graduate School of Law offers three major fields of study: Civil Law, Public Law, and Political Science.

Advancement to the Graduate School of Law

Overview

The two-year master’s program at the Graduate School is designed to cultivate the abilities required for employment as a researcher or in a profession requiring particular advanced expertise.
After completion of the program, students generally find employment or continue their research in our three-year Ph.D. program.
Many students who complete their master’s degree find employment at private companies. Students who complete the doctoral program often become university faculty members and researchers, employees of research institutes, or international civil servants.
The master’s program at the Graduate School of Law offers specialized courses in addition to the general graduate course. These courses were established in response to recent real-world demands for highly specialized personnel in a variety of fields and
include the Public Policy and Journalism Courses in the Political Science Master’s Program and the Space Law Course in the Public Law Master’s Program.
There is also a recommendation system for entering the Graduate School in addition to the regular entrance examination. Students enrolled in and receiving high marks in the fourth year at the Keio University Faculty of Law are exempted from the first stage of the entrance examination for the master’s program.

After Graduation

Many students who complete their master’s degree find employment at private companies. Students majoring in Civil Law and Public Law also tend to work in corporate legal departments, while political science majors tend to work as journalists and other professionals. In addition, students who complete the doctoral program often become university faculty members and researchers, employees of research institutes, or international civil servants.

◆Introduction to Specialized Courses◆

Specialized Course in Space Law

Despite its relatively recent origins in 1957, space development and utilization have grown to become an indispensable infrastructure for our planet, touching on everything from improving safety and convenience in our daily lives to national security, global issues, and much more. As a result, space-specific legal challenges have also emerged. The Space Law Course offers an equal breadth of space-related legal courses to become involved in a wide range of space-related businesses, which include third-party compensation arising from falling rockets and satellites, space debris issues, problem points regarding security rights for satellites in orbit versus those terrestrially docked, space insurance, satellite export control, space tourism issues, and beyond.
Some of our graduates are even involved in commercial rocket launches. Others work for satellite remote sensing and communications corporations. This course is designed for those with a broad interest in the business of space.

Specialized Course in Public Policy

The purpose of the Public Policy Course is to provide a political science-based perspective on public policy for those who aspire to become politicians or public officials in the future and those who seek to work toward solutions to a wide range of public problems.
In accordance with, and in contrast to, other public policy graduate schools, many of which emphasize practical professional skills, the Public Policy Course requires its students to prepare a master’s thesis that approaches public policy from an academic perspective of political science.
This helps with future career development and prepares talented individuals to excel anywhere.

Specialized Course in Journalism

The Specialized Course in Journalism was established with the simple aim of fostering outstanding journalists. A good journalist is a person who has a great deal of curiosity to accompany a wealth of information and knowledge. They must be able to make appropriate judgments based on this information and present the information in ways that are useful to society via reports, commentaries, and opinions on world issues.
By preparing a master’s thesis, students will also encounter perspectives on important social issues beyond journalism, and they can also take practical courses to hone their writing skills and learn how the media really works.
Staff specializing in Journalism and Mass Communication provide creative and enthusiastic instruction, and many journalists have emerged from this course.

Advancement to the Keio University Law School

◆Legal Profession Training (Law School)◆

Overview

The Keio University Law School is a professional graduate school that aims to cultivate the scholarship and competencies necessary for legal professionals like attorneys, prosecutors, and judges. Once they complete the program, students are eligible to sit for the bar exam and receive a Juris Doctor degree.
In addition to our philosophy of bridging theory and practice, the Keio University Law School trains legal professionals with an international outlook, transdisciplinary approach, and progressive mindset—the skills needed to lead society in the twenty-first century.
Specifically, first-year students focus on intensively acquiring basic legal knowledge. They then go on to learn applied legal thinking skills and hone their expertise in their second and third years.

Curriculum

Required Subjects
The compulsory core group consisting of the “Basic Legal Subjects” and “Basic Legal Practice Subjects” are considered required for the new bar exam and, therefore, consist of coursework designed to cultivate the knowledge required of legal professionals. We have developed original teaching materials to sharpen basic and applied legal skills.
 
Elective Subjects
The elective subject group complements the compulsory core subject group, combining a unique variety of broad and specialized subjects. In addition to subjects in and adjacent to basic law, specialized offerings are available in 8 additional advanced subject areas (public law, civil law, criminal law, social law, international law, interdisciplinary law, foreign law, and global law).
 
Workshop Program
Sitting atop the compulsory core and elective subject groups is the Workshop Program, where students receive practical and comprehensive education under preeminent legal practitioners in corporate, financial, international, and intellectual property law and researchers at the leading edge of their field.

Admission Capacity: 220 students
 Three-Year Course: Around 50 students
 Two-Year Course: Around 170 students
 
https://www.ls.keio.ac.jp/en/

Special Admission Screening for Students with an Undergraduate Law Degree

This screening method allows Faculty of Law students who have earned credits with high marks in prescribed law courses from the Department of Law to graduate from the Faculty of Law in three years and be admitted to the Two-Year Course at the Law School.

After Graduation

Upon completion of the program, students will typically take the bar exam, complete legal training, and work primarily as judges, prosecutors, and attorneys.

◆Master of Laws (LL.M) in Global Legal Practice◆

Overview

The Master of Laws (LL.M) in Global Legal Practice is a professional graduate program with an emphasis on training global legal professionals, where students study in English and can, in principle, earn a degree in just one year (one-and-a-half to two years on a part-time basis). The program operates on a full semester system, with the option of April or September intake.
Students from different international backgrounds gather to study in small classes of up to 30 students taught entirely in English. The faculty consists mainly of practicing attorneys, including American attorneys active in Japan and Japanese attorneys who work at the forefront of international legal affairs.

Curriculum

The curriculum is challenging and focuses on nine subject categories. Students learn about Japanese and Asian legal systems, acquire the ability to communicate in English, master cutting-edge global business and security law, and receive practical training in drafting, negotiation, arbitration, and mock trials.

Study Abroad and Other Opportunities

We foster an overseas network through the promotion of partnerships in the U.S., Asia, and Pacific Rim countries such as Australia, and by offering short-term overseas training programs, six-month study abroad programs, and double degree programs with the University of Washington, Hanoi Law University, VNUHCM-University of Economics and Law (Ho Chi Minh City), and others.

After Graduation

Graduates can expect careers in international law firms, global corporate legal departments, and international organizations like the United Nations.

2021 Bar Exam Performance by University

Top 5 Schools by # of Successful Candidates Top 5 Schools by % of Successful Candidates
1 Keio University 125 1 Aichi University 66.6%
2 Waseda University 115 2 Kyoto University 61.6%
3 Kyoto University 114 3 Hitotsubashi University 58.2%
4 The University of Tokyo 96 4 Keio University 55.1%
5 Chuo University 83 5 Tohoku University 51.3%

*Excludes preliminary bar exam applicants.

Law School Recommendations

Ms. O, Third-year Law School Student (2019 Department of Law graduate)

Ms. O, Third-year Law School Student  (2019 Department of Law graduate)

You’d think that becoming a judge, prosecutor, or lawyer is impossible for someone like myself who doesn’t like to study, wouldn’t you?
While there is no denying that studying is hard work, Keio University Law School is a place where you can gain the confidence you need to pass the bar exam, thanks to lectures by some of Japan’s best professors and a strong network of alumni. I spent four years at university immersed in student group activities, but now that I am in law school, I work hard every day with like-minded friends to prepare for the bar exam. Of course, student life still offers many fun opportunities to take snack breaks and chat about your favorite music with friends.
If you think the world of law sounds interesting, I hope you consider adding the Keio University Law School to one of your potential future options.