17-Year-Old Passes Bar Exam... "My Goal is to Be a Lawyer Protecting Creators" [Japanese Side]

After Graduating Middle School, Unsure About the Future...
Started Studying Law After Receiving a Legal Code Book as a Gift
Enjoys TV and Animation...
"I Want to Become a Lawyer Who Protects Intellectual Property Rights"

It seems that the longer you stay in the workforce, the more your concentration noticeably decreases. Even when reading a book, after about 5 minutes, your hand reaches for your phone, or you end up lying down instead. When I think about how I managed to study during my school days, it feels like a distant memory. People who study for high-level exams like the bar exam are truly impressive.

In Japan, last year, the youngest ever 17-year-old passed the bar exam (equivalent to Korea’s judicial exam), making headlines at the end of the year. The person in question is Hayakawa Sho, who was a high school sophomore last year and is now a senior. After the results were announced, Japan was amazed to see the youngest ever pass the bar exam. Today, we introduce Hayakawa, Japan’s youngest bar exam passer.

Hayakawa was born in 2007 and attends Komaba High School affiliated with the University of Tsukuba in Japan. He prepared for the exam last year when he was a high school sophomore.

Mr. Hayakawa being interviewed by Kansai TV. Kansai TV.

First, there are some differences between Japan’s bar exam system and Korea’s, so let me explain the system first. In Japan, you must graduate from a law school equivalent to Korea’s law school or pass a preliminary exam to qualify to take the bar exam. This preliminary exam is also a narrow gateway with a low pass rate. Hayakawa passed the preliminary exam when he was a first-year high school student, earning the right to take the bar exam, and then passed the bar exam itself in 2024 the following year. When he passed the preliminary exam, he was noted as the youngest ever at 16 years old since the system was established.

Hayakawa said that after finishing the private middle school exam, he was confused and had no clear goals about what he wanted to become in the future. While other friends were winning awards in chemistry Olympiads or making a name in programming, he had nothing he was passionate about and was wondering what he should do. It seems his friends were not ordinary either.

Among those thoughts, he remembered the subject he liked. He really enjoyed civics, which corresponds to general social studies in Korea. He found it interesting to discuss everyday events in a debate format and attended classes diligently. So, he thought, “If I can make use of this, I can work hard,” and asked his parents for a legal code book as a Christmas present to start studying. Up to this point, Hayakawa really seems extraordinary.

Anyway, the more he studied law, the more he wanted to know. Since there is no age limit for the bar exam, he aimed first to pass the preliminary exam to qualify. Starting from February after graduating middle school in the third year, he began preparing alone by taking online academy lectures. He passed the preliminary exam in the summer of his first year of high school, effectively passing after about half a year of study.

Article about the youngest successful candidate reported by Yomiuri at the time of Mr. Hayakawa's passing the exam. Yomiuri.

After returning from school, he listened to online lectures until 11 p.m. and studied an average of 6 to 7 hours on weekends. Above all, his “interest in law” was the driving force, so rather than making a strict plan, he studied by reviewing and digging into parts he didn’t understand or made mistakes on until he fully comprehended them. Right before the exam, he woke up at 7 a.m. and focused solely on studying until 11 p.m., only taking breaks to eat.

If there is a secret to his study method, it was his motto that “memorization is the last resort.” Although there is a lot to memorize for the bar exam, he focused on understanding by grouping related concepts rather than rote memorization. Spending time on systematic understanding rather than memorization was the key to his success.

Regarding his youngest-ever pass, some speculated that his parents might be legal professionals, but Hayakawa said in an interview, “My parents are not lawyers and don’t know much about law. Instead, they have a teaching style that says if what you are doing now isn’t going well, it doesn’t mean problems will arise or your future is decided, so boldly take on challenges.”

It might seem like he only studied and never played, but in reality, he watches a lot of TV and enjoys animation. His future aspiration is to become a lawyer supporting Japan’s content industry. He especially wants to be a lawyer who protects Japanese creators. This is because the emergence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) has created new issues such as copyright infringement in the content market. Hayakawa said in an interview, “The advent of generative AI is a great leap forward opportunity for Japan’s content industry, but conversely, if legal systems like copyright are not established, growth will be hindered.” He added, “In fact, I chose intellectual property law, which includes copyright and patents, as an elective subject for the bar exam. I want to contribute to the success of Japanese content.”

Being a generation familiar with content consumption through social networking services (SNS), it seems this has influenced his aspirations as a lawyer. It’s fascinating to see a generational shift taking place.