Official Gazette announces 2027 Bar and Preliminary Examination examiners

The Official Gazette (dated November 9, Reiwa 8, Main Paper) announced the appointment and concurrent appointment of Examination Commissioners for the Reiwa 9 Bar Examination and the Reiwa 9 Bar Examination Preliminary Examination as part of the personnel changes of the Ministry of Justice. For the Bar Examination Commissioners, the order specified a term ending March 31, Reiwa 10, while for the Preliminary Examination Commissioners, multiple term categories were listed. These personnel appointments solidify the system for question creation and grading for the Reiwa 9 Bar and Preliminary Examinations and directly affect the pass/fail results of the examinees.

Examination Commissioners are officials responsible for creating exam questions and evaluating answers based on the Bar Examination Act, and their names and the details of their appointments are publicized through publication in the Official Gazette. In this issue, under the personnel changes section under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice, two types of entries appear side-by-side: “Appointments” for those newly assuming the role of Commissioner, and “Concurrent Appointments” for current legal professionals serving in a dual capacity. The names are listed in a three-column roster format, broadly categorized into researchers and legal practitioners.

In addition to the November 9 date, it is explicitly stated with the notation “above as of November 1” that the orders include those dated November 1. The roster does not fit on a single page and continues across multiple pages.

Bar Examination Commissioners: Appointed with terms ending the end of March, Reiwa 10

For the Bar Examination Commissioners, orders were issued with terms ending March 31, Reiwa 10. The following names are listed in the roster:

• Kenji Arita
• Yusei Ichikawa
• Kazumasa Inaba
• Osamu Iwata
• Hirotoshi Utsumi
• Yasuyuki Aichi
• Keiko Ogata
• Hideaki Ozawa
• Noboru Kawahama
• Toyichiro Kojima
• Takayuki Shimaya
• Yoshiyuki Tanaka

Preliminary Examination Commissioners: Term categories for the end of November, December, and February

Regarding the Preliminary Examination Commissioners, the terms are not uniform but are issued in multiple categories: until November 30, Reiwa 9, until December 31, Reiwa 9, and until February 29, Reiwa 10. Terms ending in late November are frequently seen in the orders dated November 1, which can be interpreted as an operational adjustment corresponding to the different timing of the multiple-choice, essay, and oral examinations.

The following names are confirmed in the roster of those appointed as Preliminary Examination Commissioners with terms ending in late November:

• Noriaki Akaishi
• Tsuyoshi Ishihara
• Yasuo Ichikawa
• Takeshi Ito
• Haruki Inagaki
• Yasushi Iwamoto
• Mamoru Koarai
• Reiko Kono
• Naoki Sato
• Natsuki Takamura

Prosecutors and Judges/Summary Court Judges: Securing practitioner-educators through concurrent appointments

The concurrent appointment orders indicated that prosecutors will concurrently serve as Judicial Examination Commissioners (until March 31, 2028) and Preliminary Examination Commissioners (until December 31, 2027, or February 29, 2028). In addition to prosecutors such as Yushi Aoki, Naoko Inomata, Takao Ohara, Atsushi Onomoto, Toshihiro Kanasugi, and Kazuhiro Kurihara, the list also includes Yusuke Sato (Prosecutor and Legal Training Instructor) and Midori Watanabe (Prosecutor and Legal Affairs Officer).

In the group of concurrent appointments for Judge and Summary Court Judge, individuals such as Keisuke Iwasa, Satoshi Ito, Hiroshi Uchiyama, Koji Kanki, Hideaki Gunji, Kentaro Shida, Takayuki Hirano, and Satsuki Morikawa are listed. The composition, which secures practitioner-teachers from both the judiciary and the prosecution, can be seen as an effort to connect the actual field of legal training with examination evaluation.

The selection of commissioners directly impacts the burden on examinees and the pass/fail results through the quality of the questions and the consistency of evaluation criteria. In particular, the Preliminary Examination is a primary entry point for those aspiring to become legal professionals without going through law school, and the subdivision of term periods reflects an operational policy aligned with the examination schedule. With these orders, the framework for executing the 2027 Judicial Examination and Preliminary Examination has been finalized on the roster.

Sources

• Official Gazette, Monday, November 9, 2026, Main Paper, Ministry of Justice, Personnel Changes (Appointment and Concurrent Appointment of 2027 Judicial Examination Commissioners and 2027 Judicial Examination Preliminary Examination Commissioners)
• Order details: Appointment/Concurrent Appointment; terms until March 31, 2028, December 31, 2027, February 29, 2028, and November 30, 2027 (respectively)
• Order date categories: Dated November 9, 2026, and those with the notation “as of November 1”
• Publishing agency: Ministry of Justice (Official Gazette Main Paper, Personnel Changes section)