Why Are Lawyers in Japan So Respected?
One day, while riding the subway in Tokyo, I saw something unusual. A boy sitting next to me suddenly stood up. He had noticed that a man across from him was wearing a small bengoshi badge on his jacket, which indicates that the wearer is a lawyer in Japan. The boy repeatedly said, “Bengoshi desu ka? Bengoshi desu ka?” (“Are you a lawyer?”). The man nodded and asked him to sit down.
This is only one example, but it shows the strong respect that many Japanese people have for lawyers. This reputation is built on three main ideas:
1. The difficulty of becoming a lawyer
2. The small number of lawyers in Japan
3. The belief that lawyers earn high incomes
The Difficulty of Becoming a Lawyer
The Japanese National Bar Examination is one of the most difficult professional exams in the country. In recent years, the pass rate has been around 40%, while many U.S. bar exams have pass rates between 60% and 70%. Passing the exam is only one step. Most candidates must first graduate from law school or pass a preliminary examination. After passing the bar, they must also complete one year of training at the Legal Training and Research Institute of Japan.
The Japanese bar exam is difficult because of its format. Unlike multiple-choice exams in some countries, candidates must write long legal essays and apply rules to complex cases under strict time limits. Many people see this as proof of the lawyers’ skill and dedication.
The Small Number of Lawyers
Another reason for the respect is their rarity. In the United States, there is roughly one lawyer for every 250 people. In Japan, there is about one lawyer for every 3,000 people. Many people may never meet a lawyer in daily life, making the profession seem more elite.
Since the 1990s, the government has tried to increase the number of lawyers by making the bar exam easier to pass. Some worry this might lower standards. However, Ramseyer and Rasmussen (2015) argue that a less difficult exam may actually improve lawyer quality by encouraging more talented candidates to take the test.
Public Perception and Income
Many Japanese believe that lawyers earn high incomes. This may come from the idea that legal services are expensive, as well as television dramas that portray lawyers as wealthy professionals. Because lawyers are both rare and believed to earn high salaries, they are often seen as an elite group.
However, not all lawyers are financially successful. According to Japan Today (2024), some attorneys struggle because the number of lawyers has grown faster than demand. A few have faced disciplinary action for breaking professional rules.
A Profession in Transition
Like many institutions, the legal profession changes over time. In the past, Japan’s bar exam had an extremely low pass rate of only 1% to 2% (Nippon.com, 2020). Today, the profession is more open, and some worry that its prestige may be declining. Others believe that a larger, competitive legal field could improve services.
Ultimately, the future reputation of Japanese lawyers will depend on the lawyers themselves and the organizations that regulate them. If they maintain high ethical standards, the respect that lawyers have traditionally enjoyed is likely to continue.
Written by Everett Ofori