Masujima Rokuichiro

was a British-Japanese international lawyer, diplomat, and legal adviser of the Japanese Ambassador to London, member of Middle Temple and founder of Chuo University.

Biography Masujima's first name, Rokuichiro , was given to him because his father was 61 years old when he was born; roku-ju-ichi means 61 in Japanese.

He retired from the field of education and began to practice law. Masujima worked as a public relations lawyer, mainly dealing with public relations litigation cases and corporate law. His achievements and fame led to him being given honorary membership of the Canadian Bar Association and the New York State Bar Association. His office expanded from Tokyo to Yokohama, Kobe, and Shanghai.

In 1934, Masujima founded the Sei-Kiu-Do Common Law Library, later called the Sei-Kiu-Do Common Law Institute, originally located on his lands in the middle of Tokyo. His motivation was to develop a central theory of law that offered justice. At the time, Japanese law was governed by a mixture of customary law, German civil code, and part of the English law merchant.

At some point during the 1930s, Masujima met Martin Taylor, President of the New York State Bar Association, on the deck of an Atlantic transport liner, which was waiting for the tide in the Thames. A strong friendship developed between the two men, which led to the setting up of the Common Law Foundation in America. The word "Chuo" is said to be derived from the Japanese words "Chuo Ho-in" translated in English as Legal Training Institution Middle Temple where together with the other co-founder of Chuo University Masujima studied in England.

After the establishment of Chuo, Masujima became the first director of the institution.