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Kansai University

Coordinates: 34°46′13″N 135°30′29″E / 34.770375°N 135.508147°E / 34.770375; 135.508147
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Kansai University
関西大学
Former names
Kansai Houritsu Gakko
Motto"Gaku no Jitsuge" (学の実化)[1]
Motto in English
"Harmony between Academia and Society"[1]
TypePrivate
Established1886,; 138 years ago (1886,)
Founded Nov. 4, 1886,
Chartered Jun. 5, 1922
EndowmentUS$1.3 billion
(JP¥144.8 billion)
PresidentKeiji Shibai
Academic staff
534 full-time
Undergraduates28,568
Postgraduates1,546
1,779
Other students
1,032 (International)
Location
Suita, Takatsuki, Sakai, Umeda
,
Osaka
,
Japan

34°46′13″N 135°30′29″E / 34.770375°N 135.508147°E / 34.770375; 135.508147
CampusSuburban / Urban,
191 acres (0.8 km2)
Athletics45 varsity teams
ColorsKandai Blue  
NicknameKaisers
AffiliationsKansai Big 6
MascotAmbassador Magma
(unofficial and historical)
Websitehttps://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/English

Kansai University (関西大学, Kansai Daigaku), abbreviated as Kandai (関大) or Kansaidai (関西大), is a private non-sectarian and coeducational university with its main campus in Suita, Osaka, Japan and two sub-campuses in Sakai and Takatsuki, Osaka. Founded as Kansai Law School in 1886, It has been recognized as one of the four leading private universities in western Japan: Kan-Kan-Do-Ritsu (関関同立), along with Kwansei Gakuin University, Doshisha University, and Ritsumeikan University.

The athletic teams at Kansai University are known as the Kaisers and are primarily members of the Kansai Big 6. The Kansai–Kwansei Gakuin rivalry is a college rivalry between two universities located in Kansai, Japan.

History

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Early history of Kansai University

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Origins

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The academic traditions of the university reach back to the Hakuensyoin (泊園書院), an Tokugawa shogunate (徳川幕府; 1603–1867) school for local citizens founded by Tōgai Fujisawa (藤沢東畡) in 1825. Kansai University was founded as Kansai Law School (關西法律學校, Kansai hōritsu gakkō) in November 1886, in Osaka City, Japan. Its founders were six judicial officers who were in the service of the then Osaka Court of Appeal.

19th century

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Finished in 1927, the first picture of Main Building

In the early 1870s, the Ministry of Justice established its own law school. Western legal concepts, including that of human rights, were introduced into Japan by distinguished foreign scholars engaged by the Ministry. The founders of Kansai Law School had all studied at this law school, under the French jurist Boissonade de Fontarabie.[2] The idea of individual rights and legal processes independent of central governmental control were new to Japan. Long after the conclusion of their study with Dr. Boissonade, the founders continued to feel that these concepts were vital to the new Japan. They saw it as their duty to popularize jurisprudence to spread throughout the nation two notions: that of an independent judiciary and that of human rights.

From this sense of mission sprung the idea of founding a law school. They then sought and received the assistance and cooperation of Kojima Korekata,[3] their superior (and later Chief Justice of Japan's Supreme Court), and Doi Michio, president of the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Thus Kansai Law School was the first law school in Osaka. The founders taught that the law belongs to all citizens and, that by means of the law, they can and should defend their own rights. This became the origin of the university's academic tradition of nurturing a love of justice and a concern for the protection of the freedom of the individual. Thanks to the support and trust it has won from the general public, the institution has since then steadily developed and diversified.

20th century

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In 1905 the institution was renamed as Private Kansai University (私立 関西大学, Shiritsu Kansai Daigaku), then in 1920 as Kansai University (関西大学) before finally in 1922 being granted the official status of a university. Also in 1922 its main campus was moved to its present more extensive site in Suita City (a suburb of Osaka), thus paving the way for later growth. Its first graduate school was established in 1929. In consequence of the educational reforms carried out soon after the end of the Second World War, Kansai University was able to avail itself of the new system to expand its scope for tuition so as to comprise four faculties: those of Law, Letters, Economics and Commerce.

Statue of Kojima Korekata on Uwajima Castle
Senriyama Campus in 1923
Kansai University students

With the start of the new university system in 1949, Kandai established the First Higher School (関西大学付属第一高等学校). Its Faculty of Engineering was founded in 1958, followed in 1967 by the founding of its Faculty of Sociology. In 1994 in response to the requirements of modern technology and communication, the Informatics faculty was instituted on another campus, created just outside the dormitory-town of Takatsuki City. Its Institute of Foreign Language Education and Research was inaugurated in 2000.

For many decades, the evening courses were taught on a separate campus, in the Tenroku (天六) area of Osaka. These originally constituted a night school for students, many of them working adults. In 1994 the evening course was moved to the Senriyama campus; in 2003, the university instituted an innovative 12-hour curriculum, integrating both day and evening courses.

21st century

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Thus, at present, Kansai University offers seven faculties in its undergraduate day school and five faculties (Engineering and Informatics being the exceptions) in its undergraduate evening school; it also offers graduate studies in all seven faculties, plus the independent graduate school staffed by members of its Institute of Foreign Language Education and Research.

The university, with its attached senior and junior high schools and kindergarten, has a total student body of 27,000. In 2016, Kansai University celebrated the 130th anniversary of its foundation.[4]

The university made news in 2016 by announcing that it would prohibit its researchers from applying for Ministry of Defense grants for projects that could be diverted into military technologies, on the grounds that its researchers cannot be involved in activities counter to the peace and welfare of human beings.[5]

Campuses

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Senriyama Campuse

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View of the central courtyard
Center of Innovation and Creativity

The majority of Kansai University graduate and undergraduate studies are located in a residential area which is part of the Hanshinkan Modernism cultural area in Suita City, it is in a notable and historic suburb of and a wealthy area immediately northern of Greater Osaka. Today, the campus includes 50 buildings and sculpture gardens, fountains, museums, and a mix of architectural styles. Several buildings in the campus are listed as the Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level. There are several gates that lead into campus — East, West and South gates, with the Central Gate being the most well known for the painted seal on its ceiling.The university also operates the KU Hall, a professional performing arts center, Center for Innovation and Creativity, and the Museum of Archaeology.[6][7]

Libraries and museums

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The General Library is the largest single library in the Kansai University Library System, and is one of the largest buildings on the campus. The library system has a total library collection of more than 2.5 million volumes,[8] which is one of Japan's largest academic collections.[9] One can reserve a book at any library for collection of a book that may belong to another library in the system.

Kansai University Museum was founded in 1954 with a donation of objects from a scholar and statesman Kanda Takahira (1830–1898). The museum has three gallery floors and approximately 15,000 objects of archaeological, historical, ethnological, and art-craft contexts, as well as some important cultural property. Its most famous object is Takamatsuzuka Tomb. Notable items in museum include funerary objects that were excavated in Nara and date back thousands of years from the graves of royals of the Warring States period. There are ritual pottery vessels as well as elaborate pieces of jewelry on display. The five-story museum building was designed by the acclaimed architect Togo Murano (1891–1984, who also designed Grand Prince Hotel Takanawa and the main residence of Masahito, Prince Hitachi), the building was listed in the Registration tangible cultural property in 2007. The building served as the main library of the Kansai University until the construction of General Library in 1985. The museum sponsors lectures and events, and also runs an extensive program of outreach to local schools.

Tokyo Center

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Tokyo Station, with the Sapia Tower to the left

The Tokyo Center is on the 9th floor of the Sapia Tower, next to Tokyo Station located directly in front of the gardens of the Imperial Palace. This campus is a base for information gathering and provision, the furthering of lifelong learning, and job placement support in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It is also the base of the Tokyo Alumni Association. The Tokyo Center staff help Kansai University students find work in Tokyo. Kansai University graduates living in Tokyo are there to support current students.

Student life

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Student body

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Of those accepted for admission to the undergraduate class of 2018, 39 percent were female. Every year, there are approximately 1,000 international students studying at Kansai University.[10] Its international students are made up of students from most countries in the world including most of Western Europe, North America, and South America, Asia, Australia and many countries in Africa. Kansai University also has a longstanding relationship with KU Leuven which operates a joint research center and base for Kansai University students and scholars at the European Center at KU Leuven, located in Leuven, Belgium.[11]

Demographics of student body in 2016[12]
Undergraduate Graduate(Master) Graduate(Doctor) Professional Total
Total 28,568 1,273 287 219 31,090
Male 17,170 918 173 127 18,388
Female 11,398 355 114 92 11,959
International 381 362 743

Athletics

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The athletic teams at Kansai University are known as the Kaisers and are primarily members of the Kansai Big 6. The Kansai-Kwansei Gakuin rivalry is a college rivalry between two universities located in Kansai, Japan.

Academics

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Rankings and reputation

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General rankings

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University rankings
NBP Kansai[13] Reputation 4 (#2 private)
Shimano National[14] Selectivity A1
QS Asia
(Asia version)[15]		 General 351–400
THE World[16] General 801+
Program rankings
Social Sciences & Humanities
LAW
Natural Sciences & Technology
Engineering

Kansai University is one of the most prestigious universities in Japan, with particularly strong influence in the Kansai region. The university seeks to promote student and faculty exchange as well as collaborative research through memorandums of agreement signed with 133 partnership universities in 36 countries. According to a survey among 9,117 Japanese high school students about their favorite university, Recruit ranked Kansai university 1st place, as it has been for 13 consecutive years.[23]

Popularity and selectivity

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The number of applicants per place was 17.77% (79,903/ 14,203) in the 2020 undergraduate admissions. This number of applicants was 8th largest in Japan. Its entrance difficulty is also very selective.[24] Nikkei BP has been publishing a ranking system called "Brand rankings of Japanese universities" every year, composed by the various indications related to the power of brand, and Kansai University was top in 4th in 2015 in Kansai Area.[25]

Alumni rankings

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Kansai University is renowned for its strong connection to business in the Kansai region, and according to the 2016 university rankings by Toyo Keizai, 351 alumni served as executives in listed companies. As of 2019, around 19.6% of undergraduates were able to enter one of the top 400 companies in Japan.[26]

Organization

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Faculties and Undergraduate Degrees

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School founding
School
Year founded
Faculty of Law
1886
Faculty of Economics
1905
Faculty of Business and Commerce
1906
Faculty of Letters
1928
Faculty of Engineering
1958
Faculty of Sociology
1967
Faculty of Informatics
1994
Faculty of Policy Studies
2007
Faculty of Foreign Language Studies
2009
Faculty of Societal Safety Sciences
2010
Faculty of Health and Well-being
2010
  • Law
  • Letters
  • Economics
  • Commerce
  • Sociology
  • Informatics
  • Engineering
  • Environmental and Urban Engineering
  • Engineering Science
  • Chemistry, Materials and Bioengineering
  • Policy Studies
  • MBA (Accounting only)
  • Language teaching
  • Psychology
  • Institute of Foreign Language Education and Research[27]
  • Institute of Oriental and Occidental Studies[28]
  • Institute of Economic and Political Studies
  • Organization of Research and Development of Innovative Science and Technology
  • Institute of Legal Studies
  • Institute of Human Rights Studies

Graduate Schools

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  • Law
  • Letters
  • Economics
  • Business and Commerce
  • Sociology
  • Informatics
  • Science and Engineering
  • Foreign Language Education and Research
  • Psychology
  • Societal Safety Sciences
  • East Asian Cultures
  • Governance
  • Health and Well-being

Notable people

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See also: Category:Kansai University alumni

Law, Politicians

Authors

Business

Entertainment

Sports

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "University Philosophy | About Kansai University". Kansai University. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. ^ Gustave Ernie Boissonade de Fontarabie (1825-1910) was, from 1873 to 1895, a legal adviser to the Ministry of Justice of the Meiji Government.
  3. ^ Kojima (1837–1908) is best remembered for his efforts to maintain the independence of judicature the judiciary after the Otsu Incident in 1891.
  4. ^ "関西大学 年史編纂室". Kansai University. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Kansai University to ban applications for military research subsidies". Japan Today. Archived from the original on 2016-12-11. Retrieved 2016-12-13.
  6. ^ "関西大学・千里山キャンパス内KUシンフォニーホール｜CoRich舞台芸術！".
  7. ^ "Kansai University Museum". Kansai University.
  8. ^ "入試情報室より【勢いのある大学図書館はどこだ？】｜フリステ".
  9. ^ 『アエラムック2022大学ランキング』 2021/4/15、198頁
  10. ^ "2021（令和３）年度 外国人留学生在籍状況調査結果" (PDF). studyinjapan.go.jp (in Japanese).
  11. ^ "Kansai University European Center".
  12. ^ "Statistics of Student Enrollment/Faculty and Staff" (in Japanese). Kansai University. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  13. ^ "Nikkei BP Brand rankings of Japanese universities" (in Japanese). Nikkei Business Publications. 2010. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  14. ^ "GBUDU University Rankings" (in Japanese). YELL books. 2009. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
  15. ^ "QS World University Rankings: Asia 2025". QS Quacquarelli Symonds Limited. 2025. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  16. ^ "THE World University Rankings". Times Higher Education. 2025. Retrieved October 9, 2024.
  17. ^ Asahi Shimbun University rankings 2010 "Publification rankings in Law (Page 4)" (PDF) (in Japanese). Asahi Shimbun. 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  18. ^ "Kawaijuku japanese universities rankings in Engineering field" (in Japanese). Kawaijuku. 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  19. ^ "QS topuniversities world rankings in Engineering field". Topuniversities. 2012. Retrieved July 20, 2012.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Thomson Reuters 10 Top research institutions by subject in Japan" (in Japanese). Thomson Reuters. 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  21. ^ a b "ARWU in Mathematics". Shanghai Jiaotong University. 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  22. ^ a b "ARWU in Computer Science". Shanghai Jiaotong University. 2010. Retrieved May 11, 2011.
  23. ^ Post research hingakunet.com [permanent dead link‍] 7/
  24. ^ "【早わかりまとめ】関西大学入試 13学部の2020年度一般入試結果 志願者数・倍率一覧". 高校生新聞. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  25. ^ "大学ブランド・イメージ調査2014–2015". Nikkei BP Consulting. Retrieved 2016-09-01.
  26. ^ "｢有名企業への就職率が高い大学｣ランキング". Toyo Keizai. 7 September 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-28.
  27. ^ "Institute of Foreign Language Education and Research(IFLER) [Academics & Research] : KANSAI University". Archived from the original on 2007-04-30. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
  28. ^ "Kansai University Research Institutes[Academics & Research] : KANSAI University". Archived from the original on 2007-04-30. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
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