When Koichi Aoyagi, a renowned scholar of constitutional law and professor at Meiji University's law school, admitted leaking questions for this year's bar exam to one of his students, the news made headlines. Why would a distinguished professional with sterling credentials engage in what was clearly illegal and unethical behavior?
The answer may lie in the existence of a completely different kind of law that has relevance to legal education not only in Japan but in the United States as well. According to Campbell's Law, the more any quantitative indicator is used for decision-making, the more it will be subject to corruption, and the more it will corrupt the very process it is intended to monitor.
As long as the amount of subsidies that the education ministry provides law schools in Japan is based on the percentage of those passing the bar exam, there will always be enormous pressure on law schools to make themselves look good on this closely watched exam.