Sorimachi
As I understand your proposal, we should reorganize
the law departments in four year colleges into more general and liberal
arts oriented programs. What do you want accomplish by this reform
Yanagida
I feel that Japanese society today has become too
technocratic, losing its humane elements. People are more mechanical and
less warm hearted, and I see educational failure behind these changes. The
education system today selects out a certain group of kids from high schools
by deviation, then has them study law in four year colleges and then pass
the bar exams. In the United States, eighteen year old kids go to four year
colleges to acquire a broad general education in order to grow and develop
as a well-balanced individuals. Then they go on to more specific areas of
concentration, entering graduate schools - business administration,
economics, engineering or law. They may even change their majors, should
they find that their first selection is unsuitable for them for any reason.
Japanese students jump into the study of law before even receiving a
general education and training as a person.
Sorimachi
Are you suggesting that law schools should welcome
students who have studied some other subject other than law at the
undergraduate level?
Yanagida
Yes. This is much better than going into the study
of law without learning any other subject comprehensively. Four years of
college education will make any individual more mature, a prerequisite for
a good lawyer.
Sorimachi
Contrary to your suggestion, the current trend in
Japanese education is to let kids move into specific and professional
subjects from their first year in college rather than after two years of
general introductory studies.
Yanagida
That is a business choice. Unless colleges offer
something specific or interesting, they can't attract students.
Sorimachi
Do you think that humanity and maturity as a person are
things one can learn in the classroom, sittingin front of a blackboard?
Yanagida
Well, I am not education specialist. But may I say this: lawyers
need to understand the nature of human beings and they need to be able to
solve problems arising from within a person's mind rather than just
mechanically applying laws to solve problems. Lawyers need to have deep
insights re human beings and their relationships within society. How do
you expect students acquire these abilities ? A former president of Harvard
College, Henry Solovsky, enumerated six basic values he expected students
to acquire: modesty, humanity, flexibility, a critical spirit, a broad view
point and ethical standards, all of which would enable an individual to
develop deep insights. Subsequently, educational specialists should offer
a curriculum, through which students acquire these values.
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