Planning on law school/law in Japan...

Hi Everyone,

I'm a dual citizen of both American and Japanese citizenships and I'm hoping to become a lawyer in Japan. Now, I don't want to ask too many questions to bother any of you, so I'll just ask the main ones in mind right now. Thank you in advance.

Should I declare Japanese citizenship and forgo American Citizenship in order to make the transition to Japanese work easier?

I have read that having a few years experience in the states before finding a law position in Japan will be beneficial, but could the prestige of my school be enough to gain a position in Japan right out of law school?


While I am not sure which law school I am capable of getting to, although I hope a top tier school, I am wondering whether I should concentrate on International Law or something else to have better chances of landing a job in Japan.


Sorry for so many questions, and although I am only a sophomore in college, I really want to plan ahead so that I am not overwhelmed in the future. Thank you for anyone's help, and I look forward to hearing your advice.

You'd first have to decide if you want to major in US laws or in Japanese laws, because you need to have passed the Japanese bar exam in order to practice Japanese law in Japan. Currently you are planning on attending a law school in the US I assume?

Of course if you find some US law offices that have a branch office in Japan, who provide legal advisory to US corporations in Japan, or to Japanese corporations who have/want to establish operations in the US, that would be a possibility. Another possibility would be "joint" law firms in Japan, so to say, with US lawyers who practice US law and other lawyers who practice Japanese laws. I assume those would be involved in M & A and such, which requires knowledge of laws of both countries. If your aim is to join those types of offices, you could pass the US bar exam, practice US law in the US for a few years, then try to find such office for you to work in Japan.

Nationality issue might not matter at all, if you get employed by an American entity.

Here's the question:
Even though you have both nationalities, do you speak, read, write Japanese fluently?

Thank you for your quick responses, AK and John.

AK: That is pretty much the road I intended on taking, as far as spending a few years in the states then venturing out to find a US law firm. Do you know of a certain concentration(s) I should focus on in order to better my chances of obtaining a job? I was thinking International Law, but I am just not sure at this point whether that is the best bet for a job.

John: Yes, I am extremely fluent speaking-wise, while written ability is almost up to par.