From November, 2015, I succeed the post of representative of the PSIM consortium entering its 9th year of operation. The PSIM consortium was established in 2007 and worked for its joint development the teaching materials and use of them for practical training in the law school as well as cultivating new teaching methods and teacher training programs. Such activities and our achievements made quite a few contributions in realizing a pedagogic ideal of legal education, so called the bridge-building between theory and practice.
In Japan, it has been twelve years since law school was inaugurated and ten years since law school graduates came to enter the world of legal practice. The number of licensed lawyers out of law schools with JD reaches about thirteen thousand and not a few of them have started teaching at law schools. Now law schools are facing a series of harsh challenges. Since it is such a hard time, I believe that what the PSIM has accomplished and what it continues to work will be more important in nurturing good lawyers through “the legal education as a process.”
The year of 2017 will be the tenth anniversary of the PSIM consortium. I will dedicate myself to promoting the PSIM research and development for the advanced and substantial practical legal education with advices and helps from all it may concern. I would appreciate your kind and big support.

Akira Fujimoto
President
PSIM Consortium