Hitotsubashi University facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hitotsubashi University

一橋大学
Motto	Captains of Industry
Type	Public (National)
Established	1920 (Origins 1875)
President	Satoshi Nakano [ja]
Academic staff	303 full-time （May 2021）
Undergraduates	4,364（May 2021）
Postgraduates	1,923（May 2021）
Location	Kunitachi , Tokyo , Japan
Campus	Urban
Colors	Crimson Red (DIC-2489)
Mascot	None
Website	www.hit-u.ac.jp

Hitotsubashi University (一橋大学, Hitotsubashi daigaku), also known as the Tokyo University of Commerce (東京商科大学, Tokyo shouka daigaku), is a top national university in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda.

This university was officially named the Tokyo University of Commerce in 1920. It was Japan's first national college focused on business studies. Later, in 1949, it changed its name to "Hitotsubashi." In 1962, the name "Tokyo University of Commerce" was legally changed to "Hitotsubashi University." Many important people have studied here, including Masayoshi Ōhira, who became the Prime Minister of Japan. In 2023, a survey by Nikkei ranked the university 4th for its image among leading companies in Japan.

A Look Back in Time: Hitotsubashi University's History

Arinori Mori, who helped start Hitotsubashi University.

Hitotsubashi University began in 1875. It was first called the Institute for Business Training (商法講習所, Shōhō Kōshujo). It was founded by Arinori Mori to teach business skills during the Meiji era.

A very important person named Shibusawa Eiichi helped the school grow. He is known as the "father of the modern Japanese economy." He learned about banking and economics in Europe and brought those ideas back to Japan. Shibusawa worked with Tokugawa Iesato, a son of the last Shogun, to create many businesses and schools. The university later took the name "Hitotsubashi" in 1949, possibly because the last Shogun, Tokugawa Yoshinobu, was the head of the Hitotsubashi family.

There was a time when people talked about merging Hitotsubashi with The University of Tokyo. However, students and former students didn't want this to happen, so the merger never took place. This event is known as the "Shinyu Incident."

Key Dates in the University's Journey

• 1875: Arinori Mori started the Institute for Business Training in Tokyo.
• 1884: It became a national school and was renamed the Tokyo Commercial School.
• 1885: The school moved to the Hitotsubashi area in Tokyo.
• 1887: Its status was raised to the Higher Commercial School.
• 1920: It became the Tokyo University of Commerce, Japan's first university focused on business.
• 1927: The university moved to its current locations in Kunitachi and Kodaira after the Great Kanto earthquake.
• 1949: It adopted its current name, Hitotsubashi University, after students voted for it. New departments like Commerce, Economics, Law, and Social Sciences were created.
• 2019: Hitotsubashi University was chosen as a "Designated National University."
• 2023: A new School of Social Data Science was established.

What You Can Study at Hitotsubashi University

Kanematsu Auditorium on the Kunitachi Campus.

Hitotsubashi University has around 4,500 undergraduate students and 2,100 postgraduate students. There are about 630 teachers.

Undergraduate Programs

Students can choose to study in these areas:

• Commerce
• Economics
• Law
• Social Sciences

Graduate Programs

For students who want to continue their studies after their first degree, there are master's and doctoral programs in:

• Commerce
• Economics
• Law
• Social Sciences
• Language and Society
• International Corporate Strategy (ICS) (including MBA Program)
• International and Public Policy

Research and Learning Centers

The Library on the Kunitachi Campus.

The university has several centers where students and teachers can do research and learn new things:

• Institute of Economic Research
• Research and Development Center for Higher Education
• Information and Communication Technology Center
• Center for Student Exchange
• Institute of Innovation Research
• Center for Historical Social Science Literature

How Hitotsubashi University Ranks

Hitotsubashi University is known as one of the best universities in Japan. It often ranks very high, especially among universities that focus on social sciences. Even though it only has social science departments, its reputation is very strong.

Overall Rankings

• In 2011, a ranking by Toyo Keizai placed Hitotsubashi 7th out of 181 major universities in Japan. It was also ranked 1st for the average salary of its graduates.
• QS World University Rankings has ranked Hitotsubashi's social science programs highly, placing it among the top 100-200 globally in recent years.

Research Quality

• The economics department at Hitotsubashi is especially strong in research.
• According to the Asahi Shimbun, Hitotsubashi was ranked 4th in Japan for economic research between 2005 and 2009.
• In 2011, Repec ranked Hitotsubashi's Economic Department as Japan's 5th best for economic research.

Graduate School Success

• Hitotsubashi Law School is considered one of the best in Japan. It ranked No. 1 in the passing rate for the Japanese Bar Examination in 2006, 2008, and 2009.
• Hitotsubashi Business School is ranked 2nd in Japan by Nikkei Shimbun.
• Eduniversal ranked Hitotsubashi Business School 3rd in Japan and among the top 100 worldwide. It's one of the few Japanese business schools that teaches in English.

Alumni Success

• Graduates from Hitotsubashi have a very high employment rate in major companies.
• The average salary for graduates is among the best in Japan.
• Hitotsubashi University is ranked 25th in the world for the number of alumni who become CEOs in the 500 largest companies globally.
• The university is ranked 8th in Japan for the number of alumni holding executive positions in Japanese companies. The chance of a student becoming an executive is the 2nd highest in Japan.

Popularity and How Hard It Is to Get In

Hitotsubashi is one of the most difficult universities to get into in Japan. It is often compared to other top universities like University of Tokyo and Kyoto University for its challenging entrance exams.

What Businesses Think of Hitotsubashi Graduates

Famous People from Hitotsubashi University

Josui Kaikan, the main building for the alumni association.

The university's alumni group is called Josuikai. Its main building, Josui Kaikan, is in Tokyo. Many famous people have studied or taught at Hitotsubashi.

World Leaders

• Masayoshi Ōhira: Served as the Prime Minister of Japan.
• Baek Du-jin: Served as the Prime Minister of South Korea.
• Rinchinnyamyn Amarjargal: Served as the Prime Minister of Mongolia.

Other Important Politicians

• Shintarō Ishihara: A well-known author and former Governor of Tokyo.
• Koji Omi: Former Minister of Finance for Japan.
• Katsutoshi Kaneda: Former Minister of Justice for Japan.
• Taizō Mikazuki: Current Governor of Shiga Prefecture.
• Takashi Kawamura: Current mayor of Nagoya City.
• Leong Mun Wai: A politician from Singapore.

Diplomats

• Kōichirō Asakai: Former Japanese Ambassador to the United States.
• Saburō Kurusu: Japan's Ambassador to Germany during an important historical period.
• Mami Mizutori: A Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction at the United Nations.
• Umarjadi Notowijono: The second Secretary-General of ASEAN.

Business Leaders

• Masaru Hayami: Former Governor of the Bank of Japan.
• Rizaburo Toyoda: The first President of Toyota Motor.
• Hiroshi Okuda: Former Chairman of Toyota Motor.
• Taikichiro Mori: Founder of Mori Building, once ranked as the richest man in the world.
• Hiroshi Mikitani: Founder and CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc.
• Tatsumi Kimishima: Former President of Nintendo.
• Masatsugu Nagato: Current CEO of Japan Post Holdings.

Academics and Thinkers

• Heizō Takenaka: A well-known economist and former Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy.
• Hiroko Ōta: An economist and former Minister of State.
• Ryuzo Sato: A professor of Economics at New York University.
• Takatoshi Ito: An economist and professor at Columbia University.
• Noriko H. Arai: A mathematician and professor.

Other Notable Alumni

• 

  Tennis Player Zenzo Shimizu, 1921
• Stephen Fumio Hamao: A Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church.
• Aya Domenig: A filmmaker.
• Masaji Kiyokawa: An athlete who won a Gold Medal in swimming at the 1936 Summer Olympics.
• Zenzo Shimizu: A famous tennis player.
• Masabumi Hosono: The only Japanese passenger on the RMS Titanic.
• Futabatei Shimei: A famous author and translator.
• Kafū Nagai: A well-known author.
• Wataru Yoshizumi: A popular Manga artist.
• Yoshiki Mizuno: A musician and member of the band Ikimono-gakari.
• Yoshiharu Sekino: An explorer and surgeon.