瀋陽師範大学との国際交流― 国際法・法学教育分野における学術交流 ―

シンポジウム閉会式にて英語で総括挨拶を行う近藤航准教授（於・瀋陽師範大学）
Associate Professor Wataru Kondo delivering the Closing Summary Address in English at the closing ceremony of the symposium (held at Shenyang Normal University)

城西国際大学では、中国・瀋陽師範大学との学術交流を推進しています。この交流は、2025年8月に本学国際人文学部の近藤航准教授（専門：国際法）が、瀋陽師範大学から国際法・法学分野における教育・研究の協力要請を受けたことを契機に開始されました。同年9月には、同大学の教員および学生からなる訪問団（渉外法治研究院院長を含む教員5名、学生2名）が本学に来学し、近藤准教授や国際部との意見交換を実施しました。

瀋陽師範大学は、中華人民共和国教育部より「渉外法治人才協同培養創新基地」に認定された全国40大学の一つであり、「法の支配」の国際化を目指し、大学間国際連携教育・研究に積極的に取り組んでいます。今回の交流も、法学分野の国際的発展を見据えた学術的取り組みの一環として位置づけられています。

こうした交流の進展を受け、2025年11月には、瀋陽師範大学主催の国際シンポジウム“Legal Education Cooperation in the Digital Era”が同大学にて開催され、本学からは、招待を受けた近藤准教授が派遣されました。シンポジウムには、日本、中国、韓国、ロシア、モンゴルなどから法学研究者約20名が登壇し、約130名の参加がありました。

シンポジウムに先立ち、国際法学者としても高名な楊松学長（瀋陽師範大学）との面談の機会をいただきました。近藤准教授より日本における国際法教育の新展開（初学者用教科書の充実化など）についてお伝えするとともに、データ越境流通に関する国際的な規制のあり方を中心に研究されている楊学長よりいくつもの貴重な示唆を得ることができました。

　コロナ禍を経てAI (Artificial Intelligence：人工知能)の躍進を背景に、シンポジウムでは、法学教育現場におけるデジタル端末活用上の工夫や大学間国際協力のあり方、国際的・国内的な法制度上の課題を中心に、貴重な経験と知見が共有されました。

近藤准教授は、閉会式における総括を依頼されました。総括では、法学教育現場の変化と課題を踏まえつつ、法学の発展のあり方を見据えて、①法学教育の強化には基礎となる法学研究の充実が不可欠であること、 ②デジタル時代に応用可能な法を考えるためには、逆説的だが、その前提として基礎法の整備が必要であること、③デジタル時代における「法の支配」の国際化の一環として、法学分野ではデジタル分野との連携が一層求められているが、問題の根本解決を目指して社会的・経済的な不平等の是正に取り組むためには社会・経済・歴史・文化といった伝統的学問分野との連携も引き続き重要であること、などを述べました。

今回のシンポジウムへの参加は、瀋陽師範大学との学部・大学院レベルでの交流可能性についても検討を進めていくよい契機となりました。このような国際的な学術交流を通じて、本学は今後も教育・研究の充実を図り、国際社会に貢献できる人材育成を目指してまいります。

Shenyang Normal University and Josai International University
―Academic exchange in the fields of international law and legal education―

Josai International University (JIU) has been promoting academic exchange with Shenyang Normal University in the People’s Republic of China. This collaboration was initiated in August 2025, when Associate Professor Wataru Kondo (specialization: Public International Law), Faculty of International Humanities, JIU, received a request from Shenyang Normal University to explore cooperation in education and research in the fields of international law and legal studies.

In September of the same year, a delegation from Shenyang Normal University—comprising five faculty members, including the Dean of the Institute of Foreign-Related Rule of Law Studies, and two students—visited JIU. During their visit, they held discussions with Associate Professor Kondo and representatives of the International Affairs Division regarding future academic cooperation.

Shenyang Normal University is one of the forty universities nationwide designated by China’s Ministry of Education as a “Collaborative Innovation Base for the Cultivation of Foreign-Related Rule of Law Talents.” With a view toward the internationalization of the rule of law, the university actively promotes international inter-university collaboration in legal education and research. The present academic exchange is part of ongoing efforts to advance the internationalization of legal studies.

In November 2025, as this exchange progressed, Associate Professor Kondo participated by invitation in the international symposium “Legal Education Cooperation in the Digital Era,” hosted by Shenyang Normal University. The symposium brought together approximately twenty legal scholars from Japan, China, the Republic of Korea, Russia, Mongolia, and other countries, with around 130 participants in attendance.

Prior to the symposium, Associate Professor Kondo had the opportunity to meet with President Yang Song of Shenyang Normal University, a distinguished scholar of international law. During the meeting, Associate Professor Kondo introduced recent developments in international law education in Japan, including the enhancement of introductory textbooks for complete beginners. President Yang, whose research focuses particularly on regulatory frameworks governing cross-border data flows, offered valuable insights on emerging issues in international legal studies.

Against the backdrop of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) following the COVID-19 pandemic, the symposium featured substantive presentations on the effective use of digital devices in legal education, on the synergistic effects of inter-university collaboration, and on the legal and institutional challenges at both international and domestic levels arising in this context. Participants shared valuable experiences and scholarly perspectives concerning the transformation of legal education in the digital era.

At the closing ceremony, Associate Professor Kondo was invited to deliver the Closing Summary Address in English. In his summary, drawing on the current changes and challenges in legal education and on reflections concerning the future development of law and legal scholarship, he emphasized that: (1) strengthening legal education requires a robust foundation of legal research; (2) in order to develop legal frameworks adaptable to the digital age, the systematic development of foundational areas of law is, paradoxically, indispensable as a prerequisite; and (3) while legal studies require closer collaboration with digital technologies with a view toward advancing the internationalization of the rule of law in the digital era, collaboration with traditional disciplines—such as sociology, economics, history, and cultural studies—remains essential for addressing the root causes of contemporary legal issues, many of which stem from social and economic inequalities.

Participation in this symposium also provided a valuable opportunity to explore the possibility of further collaboration at both the undergraduate and graduate levels between the two universities. Through such international academic exchange, JIU will continue to enhance the quality of its education and research and to cultivate individuals capable of contributing to the international community.