2020 Faculty Courses Liberal arts and basic science courses Humanities and social science courses
Law (Constitutional Law) C
- Academic unit or major
- Humanities and social science courses
- Instructor(s)
- Kenta Tsuji / Hirokazu Ueda
- Class Format
- Lecture (Zoom)
- Media-enhanced courses
- -
- Day of week/Period
(Classrooms) - 5-6 Mon (W834) / 5-6 Thu (W834)
- Class
- -
- Course Code
- LAH.S301
- Number of credits
- 200
- Course offered
- 2020
- Offered quarter
- 3Q
- Syllabus updated
- Jul 10, 2025
- Language
- Japanese
Syllabus
Course overview and goals
This course focuses on the constitutionalism and the constitutional law of Japan.
Topics include general theory on the Constitutional law, government systems and human rights.
Course description and aims
By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1) Understand the history and principle of constitutionalism.
2) Explain the reason the Constitution guarantees fundamental human rights.
3) Explain the power of government system and its reason.
Keywords
Constitution, Constitutionalism, Fundamental rights, Separation of power, Rule of law
Competencies
- Specialist skills
- Intercultural skills
- Communication skills
- Critical thinking skills
- Practical and/or problem-solving skills
Class flow
At the beginning of each class, lectures a fundamental knowledge on each section. Towards the end of class, lectures a actual problem on each section.
Should the number of applicants for this course exceed the limit, a lottery system will be used to determine which students are admitted. Be sure to attend the first class.
Course schedule/Objectives
| Course schedule | Objectives | |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 | "What is constitution? What is constitutionalism?" | Understand the significance of constitution and constitutionalism. |
| Class 2 | History of Japanese Constitution | Understand the history of Japanese constitution |
| Class 3 | Sovereignty and symbol Emperor system | Understand the idea of sovereignty and the symbolic emperor system. |
| Class 4 | Pacifism | Understand the idea of pacifism. |
| Class 5 | Separation of powers and Legislative power | Understand the necessity of the separation of powers. Understand the status and power of the Diet. |
| Class 6 | Parliamentary government, and administrative power of the Cabinet | Understand the Significance of the administrative power. |
| Class 7 | Judicial power and Judicial review | Understand what is the judicial power. |
| Class 8 | Social rights | Understand the welfare right, the right to receive education, and the rights of worker |
| Class 9 | Economic freedoms | Understand the right to choose occupation and the right to property |
| Class 10 | Right to vote | Understand the right to votes |
| Class 11 | Personal freedoms | Understand the freedom of thought and conscience, religion, and expression and the academic freedom |
| Class 12 | Comprehensive rights, and equality | Understand the contents of the right to pursuit of happiness and the equality under the law |
| Class 13 | Restrictions on the fundamental human rights | Understand the permissibility of public welfare restriction on constitutional rights, and the applicability of constitutional rights to private conduct of citizens |
| Class 14 | General theory of the fundamental human rights | Understand the history, idea, classification, and subject of the fundamental human rights |
Study advice (preparation and review)
To enhance effective learning, students are encouraged to spend approximately 100 minutes preparing for class and another 100 minutes reviewing class content afterwards (including assignments) for each class.
They should do so by referring to textbooks and other course material.
Textbook(s)
not appointed. Please refer these books of reference.
Reference books, course materials, etc.
Nobuyoshi Ashibe (supplanted by Kazuyuki Takahashi), Kenpo (Constitutional Law) 7th edn（Iwanamishoten 2019)
Norikazu Kawagishi, Mina Endo, Masaomi Kimizuka, Tatsuya Fuji and Yoshihito Takahashi, Kenpo (Constitutional Law) 4th edn (Seirinshoin 2016)
Masaomi Kimizuka (ed), Basic Text Kenpo (Basic Textbook on Constitutional Law) 3rd edn (Horitsu Bunka sha 2017)
Masaomi Kimizuka (ed), Daigakusei no tameno kenpo (Constitutional Law for Young Leaners) (Horitsu Bunka sha 2017)
Yoshio Hasebe, Kenpo (Constitutional Law) 7th edn（ShinseiSha 2018)
Evaluation methods and criteria
Midterm and final reports 80%, assignment works 20%
Related courses
- LAH.S101 ： Law (Constitutional Law) A
- LAH.S201 ： Law (Constitutional Law) Ｂ
- LAH.S102 ： Law (Civil Law) A
- LAH.S107 ： Sociology A
- LAH.S207 ： Sociology B
Prerequisites
interesting in Constitution
Other
Read newspapers and watch tv news carefully, you can discover some constitutional problems.
So you should be exposed to actual problem by reading newspapers and watching tv news.
Should the number of applicants for this course exceed the limit, a lottery system will be used to determine which students are admitted. Be sure to attend the first class.