October 10, 2024
On Saturday, September 28, 2024, the Teiho-kai held a mock trial at the Teikyo University Hachioji Campus Moot Courtroom. The Teiho-kai is a legal club whose activities aim to provide a forum for legal discussion, to help students aim for law Graduate School or qualifications, and to use the knowledge they acquire to develop legal thinking.
On the day of the mock trial, first-year students split into lawyers and prosecutors and debated two case studies: a constitutional issue regarding the conflict between freedom of religion and sexual orientation, and a criminal law issue examining whether slander constitutes the commission of murder. Both cases involved current issues regarding LGBT and slander on social media, so lively discussions were held, and students actively responded to sharp points made by teachers who participated as jurors.
The participating students spoke frankly of their impressions, saying, "I was very nervous. I felt that watching and actually doing it were completely different," and "I felt inadequate because I couldn't express what I wanted to say smoothly." Assistant Professor Nakaoka Jun of Faculty of Law Department of Law who serves as an advisor to Teiho-kai, commented to the students, "If you study with more awareness of specific cases, you will be able to answer questions more efficiently and ask more critical questions. I think studying law will become more fun if you look at more case law collections. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future."
It was a meaningful experience, with the instructors providing commentary and a wide range of knowledge that can be applied not only to Teifoukai activities but also to future studies.
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