Earns the Top Position Among Japanese Universities

The 24th Intercollegiate Negotiation Competition (INC), supported by Sophia University, was held on November 15–16. This annual event is a university-level competition featuring mock arbitration and negotiation rounds conducted in either Japanese or English, traditionally hosted at the Yotsuya Campus.

This year’s competition brought together 276 participants from 27 universities across Japan and overseas,　including institutions from Australia, China, Mongolia, and Singapore. Before panels of judges composed of legal practitioners and scholars from around the world, teams engaged in intense and high-level negotiations.

Sophia University was represented by 22 students from the Faculty of Law’s International Business Law Seminar, forming five teams. The Sophia team achieved an impressive third place overall, the highest ranking among Japanese universities. The top six universities were: 1st – Team Australia, 2nd – Fordham University, 3rd – Sophia University, 4th – Kyushu University, 5th – National University of Singapore, and 6th – The University of Tokyo.

In the Japanese-language division, Sophia placed third behind the University of Tokyo and Kyushu University. In the English-language division, the team ranked fourth—following Team Australia, Fordham University, and the National University of Singapore—again securing the top position among Japanese universities.

Moeka Yanagi, a fourth-year student in the Department of International Legal Studies on Environment, said that the experience was deeply meaningful. “Beyond the results, the entire process of preparing together with my seminar peers was truly invaluable. Working toward a shared goal wasn’t always easy—there were times of disagreement—but those moments made our unity and the sense of accomplishment at the end all the more meaningful.”

Professor Tetsuo Morishita of the Department of International Legal Studies, who supervised the team, commented on the students’ achievement. “Achieving the highest ranking among Japanese universities in such a competitive international field is a remarkable accomplishment. Even more commendable is how each student challenged themselves, grew through the experience, and together built an outstanding team. It is always a privilege to work alongside such dedicated and inspiring students toward ambitious goals.”