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The Ministry of Justice has announced the results of the 2026 bar exam, revealing the number of successful candidates and a breakdown of their attributes.
The Ministry of Justice announced the results of the 2026 bar exam on the 11th. 3,871 people took the exam, and 1,595 people passed, an increase of 14 from last year. The percentage of successful applicants (507) who were female was 31.8%, the highest since the current system began in 2006.
The passing rate was 41.2%, unchanged from last year. The average age of successful candidates was 26.9 years old, with the youngest being 20 years old and the oldest 71 years old. The number of successful candidates exceeded the government's target of 1,500 for the fourth consecutive year.
By law school, Waseda University had the highest number of students at 149. This was followed by Keio University with 125 students and Tokyo University with 117 students. Kyoto University had the highest pass rate at 57.6%, followed by Keio University at 54.1% and Hitotsubashi University at 52.6%.
On the other hand, 409 people passed the preliminary exam, which allows them to qualify without completing law school. The passing rate was 85.9%.

The Supreme Court's Grand Bench ruled on the 11th that the maximum vote disparity of 3.13 times in the July 2025 House of Councilors election was "unconstitutional." The appeal to invalidate the election was rejected. The Diet will be forced to take measures to correct disparities.

In response to the spate of illegal suitcase dumping around Ikebukuro Station, Tokyo's Toshima Ward has amended its ordinance to prohibit smoking and littering on the streets, and has announced plans to impose fines on those who dump suitcases. Approximately 290 cases of neglect have been confirmed in fiscal 2025, and the aim is to implement the law in April next year.

On the 11th, the Supreme Court's Grand Bench ruled that the ``1-vote disparity'' of up to 3.13 times in the House of Councilors election held in July last year was unconstitutional, stating that ``there was a state of gross inequality.'' The claim to invalidate the election was rejected. This is the first time that a House of Councilors election has been found to be unconstitutional after the introduction of combined constituencies.

The United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, South Korea, and other countries are broadcasting Supreme Court and Constitutional Court hearings live on the Internet. The purpose of the principle of public openness of trials stipulated in Article 82 of the Japanese Constitution is to check the judiciary by the sovereign, and if the Supreme Court's arguments are made available online, they can also serve as material for public scrutiny. We spoke to Tetsuro Hirano (57), a former judge and professor at Ritsumeikan University Law School.

It has been revealed that the Fukuoka Prefectural Police visually checked the "suspect notebooks" of arrested and detained suspects during property inspections. Notes submitted by defense attorneys are said to be protected by the right of confidential communication, but prefectural police checked for several seconds to make sure there were no dangerous objects or instructions to destroy evidence. The company said it has reviewed its operations and taken into consideration human rights and security needs.

On the 10th, the Fukuoka District Court dismissed the plaintiff's claim in a lawsuit filed against six expressway companies and the government by a man who had his application for an ETC personal card rejected because he was affiliated with an organized crime group. The plaintiffs argued that the expressway is a public property, and that not being able to use it just because they are affiliated with an organized crime group constitutes unreasonable discrimination.