The Faculty of Law was founded in 1924 as a Department of the Faculty of Law and Letters, and achieved independent status in 1949. The Graduate School of Law, which started as a Department under the old graduate school system, became as an independent Division in 1953. Together, as leading research and educational institutions of law and political science in Japan, they have contributed a great deal to the advancement of the study of jurisprudence and political science. They have educated and trained more than 13,000 promising graduates, who have been playing important roles in the law profession, the business world, academia, and public affairs both in and out of this country.

Recently, from April 1999, 31 Chairs in the Faculty were transferred to the Graduate School, becoming twelve large Chairs. These teach twelve sub-programs, grouped into five programs: Fundamental Legal Science, Public and Social Law, Private and Criminal Law, International Legal Studies, and Political Science. There are now about 100 subjects available to students studying for the degree of bachelor of Laws at the undergraduate level, and Master of Laws and Doctor of Laws at the graduate level. Since 1994, the Graduate School also has initiated Japan's first LL.M., a Master's Program in Internatinal Economic and Business Law, taught entirely in English from a Japanese perspective. From October 1999, it will initiate the CSPA (Comparative Studies of Politics and Administration in Asia) program, conducted entirely in English. In the Faculty of Law, there are four courses: Law, Policy of Law, International Business Law, and Politics.

All staff are renowned specialists in their respective major fields, and continue to play leading roles in both research and advisory work. In addition, the Faculty has one of the largest libraries. It possesses more than 300,000 books, documents, and periodicals (both foreign and Japanese) which represent an attractive research resource for people interested in legal and political phenomena in Japanese society.

Well known for historical, comparative and basic research the Faculty and Graduate School have concluded a range of academic collaborations and exchange agreements with counterparts overseas, especially in the Asian-Pacific region.