JBA Admission Exam study guide
JBA Admission Exam · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
The Japanese Bar Association Admission Examination (often shortened to JBA Admission Exam) is the gateway assessment for candidates seeking admission to the Japanese Bar Association and, through it, to practise as a bengoshi. Expect a two-part structure: multiple-choice items testing doctrinal recall and short-answer accuracy, plus written questions that require structured legal argument under time pressure. The JBA Admission Exam study guide has 9 sections and about 3,267 words.
01Constitutional Law
This domain tests how constitutional limits structure government and protect rights: supremacy, judicial review, separation of powers, federalism or devolution, and enforceable fundamental rights. Questions usually ask you to identify the standard of review and apply it to a concrete statute or official act.
353 words, about 2 min02Civil Law
Civil Law tests private-law reasoning: formation and performance of obligations, remedies for breach, tort liability, property rights, and the boundary between valid, void, and voidable acts. Expect fact patterns requiring you to identify the governing rule, apply it to ambiguous facts, and choose the remedy.
354 words, about 2 min03Criminal Law
Criminal Law tests whether conduct satisfies the definition of an offence, whether a defence applies, and how far liability extends to attempts and accomplices. The exam rewards element-by-element analysis: actus reus, mens rea, concurrence, causation, and defences.
365 words, about 2 min04Commercial Law
Commercial Law tests transactions and business organizations: agency, partnerships, corporations, negotiable instruments, and secured credit. The exam focuses on who is bound, who bears loss, and which creditor has priority.
380 words, about 2 min05Civil Procedure
Civil Procedure tests the path from filing to final judgment: jurisdiction, pleadings, service, discovery, dispositive motions, trial, appeal, and preclusion. The exam asks whether a court can hear the case and whether a judgment will bind the parties later.
374 words, about 2 min06Criminal Procedure
Criminal Procedure tests police powers and fair-trial guarantees: search and seizure, arrest, interrogation, identification, pretrial detention, trial rights, and remedies for violations. The exam asks whether evidence is admissible and whether the proceedings were fair.
347 words, about 2 min07Administrative Law
Administrative Law tests the legal limits on agencies: delegated power, procedural fairness, rulemaking and adjudication, judicial review, and remedies. The exam asks whether the agency acted within its authority and followed the required process.
344 words, about 2 min08Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility
This domain tests the lawyer’s duties to clients, courts, third parties, and the profession. Questions often present a conflict, a confidentiality problem, or a candor issue and ask what the lawyer must do, may do, or must refuse to do.
381 words, about 2 min09Legal Writing and Analysis
Legal Writing tests whether you can construct a persuasive, accurate answer under time pressure: issue spotting, rule statement, application, counterargument, and conclusion. The exam rewards clear structure and fact-specific reasoning, not rhetorical flourish.
369 words, about 2 min