Tsukasa Miyajima, Professor, Department of Law in the Faculty of Law

With just over two years until retirement, recently I often reflect on how I have approached my seminar class for the past thirty-odd years I've been at Keio. I wonder whether or not I have been able to leave something meaningful for my students. Though there may be a few things I would have changed along the way, it's impossible to turn back the hands of time. All I can do now is trust my methods and keep doing what I've been doing. Fortunately, each of my former students has continued down their chosen path. If I may say so myself, the fact that nearly all of them seem to miss my seminar suggests that I'm doing something right.

What I mean by "keep doing what I've been doing" is to show students my true colors, Tsukasa Miyajima the individual as opposed to Tsukasa Miyajima the professor, and interact with my students on a personal level. I ought to act my age, but I never give up the chance to be a player in the starting lineup at sporting events at the seminar camp or faculty and university-wide softball tournaments. A few scrapes and bruises don't bother me. I don't know how I look in students' eyes, but I have always tried to approach every endeavor seriously. In my seminar and during class, I never pretend to know something I don't. I still suffer from the difficulty of commercial law at this age. In fact, the more I know, the harder it gets. Whenever new corporate or insurance law appears, it raises fundamental issues as to what commercial law even is. What I learned from my commercial law professors at Keio is to always be ready to humbly return to the basics of my subject and to face students with sincerity.

I have never imposed anything on my students. By making students think of a theme for themselves, I have tried to instill in them an attitude of responsibility when approaching their work. There have been times when they have frustrated me. But all I can do is wait patiently and believe that each student will shape up and surprise me in the course of six months to a year. It is thanks to the exceptional potential of Keio students that I've been able to enjoy such a free-spirited career during my tenure here.

Student’s Voices
Ryusuke Arachi
Third-year student, Faculty of Economics
Pursuing True Academic and Athletic Excellence

Prof. Tsukasa Miyajima's seminar on corporate law is now in its thirty-third year. In addition to the presentations and discussions typical of a seminar class, we also actively hold a number of events which include camping trips, the professor's birthday party, and get-togethers with seminar alumni. Prof. Miyajima also serves as the director of the Keio University Athletic Association, so many student athletes join his seminar. The majority of the students in our seminar put their efforts into extracurricular activities as well as academics. Healthy, energetic students make up the seminar, which makes for an extremely upbeat atmosphere.

Another characteristic of the seminar is the strength of its alumni connections, created over the long history of the seminar. In fact, there are cases such as mine, in which two generations have learned under Prof. Miyajima. While inheriting the traditions of those before us, I plan to make the seminar better than ever.