A Note on COVID-19
We plan to operate the Semester Abroad in Tokyo, Japan program as scheduled. We may need to make adjustments, depending on global health concerns and as well as guidance and instructions from local and international health authorities. Please see our Cancellation and Refund Policy for more information. In light of these uncertainties, we suggest booking refundable flights and housing to ensure flexibility should the program be postponed or canceled.
Overview
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PROGRAM DATES: January 9 – April 25, 2025
Since 1994, Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), has offered students from Temple Law School, other U.S. law schools, and international law schools the unique opportunity to study in Tokyo, Japan, for an entire semester. This is the only ABA-approved semester-long program in Japan. The program also provides participants with an invaluable chance to experience Asia and an opportunity to become distinguished in a competitive legal market.
Temple University, Tokyo Campus
Showa Women’s University (SWU) and TUJ share a campus at SWU’s location in Setagaya-ku, Tokyo. TUJ officially moved to a new six-story building on SWU’s campus in 2019.
Curriculum
Students take both standard and specialty law courses that focus on international, comparative, and Asian legal studies and provide students with practical knowledge of international law and business. The comparative law courses provide in-depth knowledge of current issues in transnational law through analysis of the cultural foundation for the Japanese legal system. All courses are taught in English. Students may also take a non-credit Japanese language course.
Prospective students should review course descriptions and schedules for any given semester.
Attendance
Students must attend a minimum of 80% of the regularly scheduled class hours in a course to be considered in regular attendance. Faculty members may impose more stringent attendance requirements for a particular course by giving enrolled students reasonable advance notice of their specific attendance policies.
Grading
Faculty are encouraged to use a target mean grade point average of 3.05 in all exam courses, with a range of grades such that at least 20% are A- or above and at least 20% are C+ or below. A mean of 3.00 to 3.10 complies with this policy. The target mean does not apply to writing seminars and guided research projects, but faculty are urged to use a range of grades that reflect a range of performance in such courses.
A student’s home school determines whether to accept any credit or grade from any course taken in the program.
Faculty
The courses are taught by a combination of full-time faculty resident in Japan, one faculty member from main campus who is visiting Japan, and local adjunct faculty.
Program Director
Tina Saunders
Director of Law Programs at Temple University Japan
Associate Professor of Instruction in Law
Anticipated Enrollment
The program ordinarily welcomes 25 students, with approximately 15 students from Temple Law and 10 from Other law schools.
Participants from Other Law Schools
Students from other law schools are encouraged to apply. Prospective students should consult with their home institution to confirm the coursework earned can be applied to their J.D. degree. Students who find that their home institution will not accept credits in transfer are still welcome to participate.
Most ABA-accredited law schools will readily accept Temple credits toward their J.D.
Students from the following U.S. law schools have attended the program:
Albany Law School
University of Akron
American University
University of Arizona
Arizona State University
University of Arkansas
University of Baltimore
Barry University
Benjamin Cardozo School of Law
Boston University
Boston College
Brigham Young University
Brooklyn Law School
University of Buffalo
University of California-Berkeley
University of California-Davis
University of California-Hastings
University of California-Los Angeles
California Western University
Capitol University
Case Western Reserve
Catholic University
Chicago-Kent College of Law
University of Cincinnati
Cleveland-Marshall College of Law
University of Colorado
University of Connecticut
Cornell Law School
University of Dayton
University of Denver
DePaul University
Detroit College of Law
Drake Law School
Drexel University
University of Detroit Mercy
Duke University
Emory University
University of Florida
Florida Coastal Law School
Florida State University
Fordham University
Franklin Pierce Law School
George Mason
University of Hawaii
Hofstra University
University of Houston
Howard University
University of Illinois
University of Indiana-Bloomington
Indiana University-Indianapolis
University of Iowa
John Marshall Law School
Kansas University
University of Kentucky
Lewis and Clark University
Louisiana State University
University of Louisville
Loyola University-Chicago
Loyola Law School-Los Angeles
University of Maine
Marquette University
University of Maryland
McGeorge School of Law-UOP
Mercer Law School
University of Miami
University of Michigan
Michigan State University
University of Minnesota
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of Nebraska
University of Nevada-Law Vegas
University of New Mexico
New York Law School
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
University of North Dakota
Northeastern University
Northwestern University
Nova Southeastern Law School
Ohio Northern-Claude Petit
Ohio State University
University of Oklahoma
University of Oregon
Pace University
University of the Pacific
University of Pennsylvania
Penn State-Dickinson
Pepperdine University
University of Pittsburgh
University of Puerto Rico
Quinnipiac University
University of Richmond
Roger Williams Law School
Rutgers University-Camden
Rutgers University-Newark
Samford University
University of San Francisco
Santa Clara University
University of Saskatchewan (Canada)
University of San Diego
University of San Francisco
Seattle University
Seton Hall University
University of South Carolina
University of South Dakota
Southern University
University of Southern California
Southern Illinois University
University of Southern Maine
Southern Methodist University
South Texas Law School
Southwestern University
St. John’s University
St. Thomas University
State University of New York-Buffalo
Stetson
Suffolk Law School
Syracuse University
Temple University
University of Tennessee
University of Texas
Texas Tech University
Touro Law Center
University of Tulsa
University of Utah
Valparaiso University
Vanderbilt University
University of Victoria (Canada)
Vermont University
Villanova Law School
Wake Forest University
Washburn University
University of Washington
Washington University School of Law
Wayne State University
Western New England
West Virginia University
Whittier College
Widener University
Willamette University College of Law
College of William and Mary
William Mitchell College of Law
University of Windsor (Canada)
University of Wisconsin-Madison