Biography.guide
Home › People › Lawyer › Ai Kume
Portrait of Ai Kume

Ai Kume

1911 – 1976

Japanese lawyer

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Ai Kume

Lived 1911 – 1976 (aged 65). Ai Kume was a Japanese lawyer.

was one of the first three women in Japan to become lawyers.

Biography Kume was born in Ōsaka Prefecture. At the time, the definition of someone who could enter the modern legal profession in Japan was "A male Japanese national" who must be at least twenty years old. This was amended in 1933, and in 1936, women were allowed to enter the bar. Kume was one of the first three women, including Masako Nakata and Yoshiko Mibuchi, to pass the exam in 1938. The women were about to study law from 1929 at Women's College, Meiji University. All three became fully qualified lawyers after an eighteen-month internship, in 1940. Kume worked in private practice in Tokyo. She was a founding member of the Japan Women's Bar Association which began in 1950. Kume was the first chairperson.

From 1960 to 1969 she served in the United Nations in New York on behalf of her government. In 1960 Kume was interviewed by Beate Sirota Gordon as part of her research work at Columbia University and her memories are captured in The Reminiscences of Ai Kume: Japanese Occupation.

Kume was the first woman to be recommended for appointment to the Supreme Court by the Bar association in 1976, but she died unexpectedly on July 14 of that year.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Education
Tsuda University, Meiji University
Employers
Women's College, Meiji University, United Nations General Assembly, Legislative Council of the Ministry of Justice

People in Ai Kume's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ai Kume's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ai Kume?

Japanese lawyer

When was Ai Kume born?

Ai Kume was born on 7 July 1911 in Osaka Prefecture.

When did Ai Kume die?

Ai Kume died on 14 July 1976.

What was Ai Kume's occupation?

Ai Kume was a lawyer.

What nationality was Ai Kume?

Ai Kume was Japanese.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ai Kume

· Wikidata: Q17215159

· DBpedia: Ai Kume

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ai Kume. https://biography.guide/ai-kume/

MLA: "Ai Kume." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ai-kume/.

Chicago: "Ai Kume." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ai-kume/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:25 UTC