Mona Yamamoto, a freelance announcer, passed the bar exam! Words from Chino Kikuma, who pushed her back.

Now a mother of three, she achieved her dream after five years of intense study!
When she failed on her second try last year, she said, “I was so depressed that I couldn’t stand still. ……

When I found my number (on the online acceptance board), I was relieved rather than happy. （It has been five years (since I started studying for the entrance examination). It was a long time. ……”

The person smiling with a bouquet of flowers from a FRIDAY reporter is freelance announcer and TV personality Mona Yamamoto (49).

On November 13, Yamamoto reported on her SNS that she had passed the bar exam. My new challenge from my 40s has borne fruit. I have finally made it to the next starting line,” she wrote joyfully. A few days later, FRIDAY conducted a direct interview with Yamamoto in Tokyo!　She married a man in August 2010 and is now the mother of three children. She told us about the unknown struggles she went through before breaking through the hurdle. ……

— “Congratulations on passing.

Thank you.”

–What made you decide to take the bar exam in the first place?

After I had my third child (in June 2007), I thought about my future after I had settled down to raise my child. I wanted to study and challenge myself in something. What came to mind was the world of law. I graduated from Gakushuin University with a law degree, and I had always been interested in it.

–So you immediately started preparing for the bar exam?

No, no. I thought, ‘What am I going to do? No. I had been thinking about it for a while, ‘What should I do? It was the words of Chino Kikuma, a former Fuji TV announcer and lawyer, that pushed me back. Ms. Kikuma and I were both instructors at the same wine school. When I mentioned my anxiety about the bar exam, she encouraged me by saying, “You can start with just one book. He said, “You can start with just one book, so you can start anytime you want. I felt much better. I immediately went online and ordered an introductory law book and started studying.

–In April 2010, you entered Waseda University Law School.

I was self-taught at first, but I thought I would have more friendly competition if I studied with my peers at law school. But then I went to ……. At the time, it was the new COVID-19 crisis, and most of the classes were online. It was very lonely. ……”

–Were you online all the time?

No.’ Around 23 years ago, I started taking more classes by commute, but it was difficult to balance it with housework and childcare. I would set my alarm clock for 4:00 a.m. and study early in the morning, drop my youngest off at kindergarten, and then go to the university. I would attend classes until late in the evening, and on days when I would be home late, I would buy food for my family at a bento shop that was frequented by Waseda University students. When I returned home, I put the children to bed and studied until about 2 a.m., when I fell asleep.

–Did you pass the bar exam on your first attempt?

No, this is my third time. When I failed on my second attempt last year, I was so depressed that I couldn’t stand up. …… Why can’t I pass the bar exam when I’m working so hard? All my efforts are not paying off. ……

–I’m even more happy that I passed the test after suffering so much.

I am truly relieved with my husband. Even if you are in your 40s, hard work pays off. Passing the exam has made it possible for me to start my career. I want to use the knowledge and experience I have gained so far to become a lawyer who can help those in need.

After five years of intense study, Yamamoto’s dream has come true, and the mother of three is now ready to enter the world of the judiciary, a field she has longed to enter.

From the December 12, 2025 issue of FRIDAY