Secretary-General, Keio Law Association / Professor, Faculty of Law
Keigo Komamura
The Keio University Faculty of Law and Graduate School of Law have produced many researchers in the fields of law, political science, and sociology. While the academic lineages of each major and laboratory have established broad and deep traditions and networks, our senior members envisioned creating a forum for interaction and mutual development that transcends individual fields and laboratories for the many who studied at Mita. Thus, the Keio Law Association was established in 1971 as an organization where researchers who have graduated from the Faculty of Law and Graduate School of Law and are active outside the Juku can interact with full-time faculty members of the Faculty of Law, and jointly plan and implement research events.
The president of the Keio Law Association is the Dean of the Graduate School of Law. The association's operations are managed by a Board of Secretaries consisting of about 15 members from both inside and outside the university, and daily administrative tasks are handled by the Secretary-General and two secretaries (one for accounting and one for general affairs). We hold one or two conferences a year, primarily at Mita, where many of us studied. In the past, we sometimes held them at universities where our off-campus researchers are affiliated, organizing events with a rich local flavor. However, due to factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become customary in recent years to hold them at Mita. While there is significance in returning to Mita, our nostalgic alma mater, it is also important to venture out and reunite in other regions to witness the achievements of our members and broaden our horizons. In the future, we hope to expand the scope of our activities as broadly and dynamically as before, in part to reaffirm the reach of the Keio legal studies network.
Let us touch upon the thoughts of our senior members who studied at Mita Hilltop Square regarding this association. An article from February 15, 2001, by Professor Masao Sakahara (Civil Procedure Law), who summarized the purpose of this association, states the following:
"The late Dr. Yutaka Tezuka (Professor Emeritus), who left a great legacy in the study of Meiji legal history, dedicated himself to the establishment of this association. He believed that the relationship between researchers who graduated from the faculty and the faculty itself should not be limited to personal ties with their former teachers, holding the conviction that 'the Faculty of Law should support researchers outside the Juku both materially and morally, as this will also lead to the development of the faculty' (Yutaka Tezuka, 'Memories of the Founding of the Keio Law Association,' *Keio Law Association News*, no. 7 [1981]: 1). At the time of its founding, Dr. Tezuka envisioned concrete support for research activities, including providing access to the Juku library, distributing the Faculty of Law's official journal, *Hogaku Kenkyu*, arranging for contributions to the journal, and providing research grants. These ideas form the basis of the association's activities today. Furthermore, according to his recollections of the association's founding, the preparatory committee had considered the name 'Mita Law Association.' It was changed to 'Keio Law Association' to avoid similarity with the 'Mita Law Society.'"
As seen here, our senior eminent scholars had a desire to establish an academic lineage for what might be called "Mita Legal Studies." Today, with academic fields becoming more specialized and methodologies more diverse, it is quite challenging to rally under the banner of "Mita Legal Studies." Nevertheless, the Keio Law Association wishes to carry on the spirit of upholding the scholarly tradition of Yukichi Fukuzawa in the fields of law, political science, and sociology.
Finally, I would like to touch upon publication grants, which are one of the important initiatives of this association. It is both a dream and a duty for a researcher to compile their research into a single book and publish it. The Keio Law Association engages in activities to support this endeavor every year. The Keio Law Association supports the publication of such research outcomes: presenting years of research to the world, preserving modest but significant treatises in print to pass the baton to the next generation, and making doctoral dissertations known to the public as books. In this sense, we also want to focus on interacting with young researchers and graduate students. I very much look forward to seeing you on the hill of Mita.