Meiji University was founded in January 1881 as the Meiji Law School by a group of young lawyers barely in their 30's: Tatsuo Kishimoto, Kozo Miyagi, and Misao Yashiro. It was an era characterized by Japan's urgent need to develop as a modern independent nation. The three founded the Meiji Law School in their fervent hope to "foster bright capable youths who would lead a modern civil society in Japan". Meiji University ranks solidly among the best universities in Japan, currently consisting of 10 schools: the School of Law, School of Commerce, School of Political Science and Economics, School of Business Administration, School of Arts and Letters, School of Information and Communication, School of Global Japanese Studies, School of Science and Technology, School of Agriculture, and the School of Interdisciplinary Mathematical Sciences. The Graduate School is made up of 15 Schools: the Graduate School of Law, Graduate School of Commerce, Graduate School of Political Science and Economics, Graduate School of Business Administration, Graduate School of Arts and Letters, Graduate School of Information and Communication, Graduate School of Global Japanese Studies, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Graduate School of Advanced mathematical Sciences, and the Graduate School of Humanities