Women in law in Japan

That rule stated that a lawyer must be a Japanese man, aged 20 or older, and have legal capacity under the Civil Code.

In 1938, three women passed the bar to become lawyers: Ai Kume, Masako Nakata, and Yoshiko Mibuchi.

In welcoming the first entering class, Hideo Yokota, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, called upon female lawyers and economists to work to improve women's status in Japan.

[citation needed] In 1940, Masako Nakata, Yoshiko Mibuchi, and Ai Kume became the first women qualified to become lawyers in Japan.

[3][4] Al Kume worked at a private practice in Tokyo and also served as a representative of the Japanese government.

[1][6] In 1974, Oshiro Mitsuyo and Noda Aiko became the first females to serve as Judges of the High Court in Japan.

[citation needed] In 1995, Annette Eddie-Callagain became the first African American (female) attorney to practice law in Japan.

[16][17] Also, in 2001, Chikako Taya became the first Japanese (female) appointed as an ad litem judge for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.