About the Ritsumeikan
Academy2022 − 23

Ritsumeikan University
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Ritsumeikan Junior High School / Ritsumeikan Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High School / Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Keisho Junior High School / Ritsumeikan Keisho Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Moriyama Junior High School / Ritsumeikan Moriyama Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Primary School

The Histor y of R itsumeikan
The Founding Spirit and Educational Philosophy of Ritsumeikan
The history of Ritsumeikan dates back to 1869 when Prince
Kinmochi Saionji, an eminent international statesman of modernJapan, founded “Ritsumeikan” as a private academy on the site of
the Kyoto Imperial Palace. In 1900, Kojuro Nakagawa, former
secretar y of Prince Saionji, established Kyoto Hosei School(Kyoto School of Law and Politics), an evening law school thatwas open to working people. This school formally adopted thename Ritsumeikan in 1913 and was finally given the status of auniversity in 1922.
The school spirit of liberalism and internationalism advocatedby Prince Saionji was combined with the ideals of academic
freedom and vivacity pursued by Kojuro Nakagawa, and becamea tradition of the university. This tradition also survived theintense suppression of the prewar days, as evidenced by the factthat Ritsumeikan University accepted seventeen professors whowere forced by the government to leave Kyoto Imperial University(present-day Kyoto University) for their pacifist activities.
A fter World War II, R itsumeikan adopted the educationa lphilosophy of peace and democracy, faithful to the spirit ofthe Japanese Constit ution and the Education Fundamenta lLaw. In 1948, Ritsumeikan became one of the f irst Japanese
universities to be reorganized under the new education system.
Ritsumeikan carried out extensive reforms to ensure democratic

Kinmochi Saionji(1849-1940)

Kojuro Nakagawa(1866-1944)

administration of the university to better serve society as an
educational institution open to the public.
In the 1990s, in response to the changes leading to a globalized
information societ y, each facult y went through curriculum
revisions to accommodate the changing global complexities andinnovations affecting higher education. One significant part ofthese changes was the introduction of the international education
programs such as the Five-Week Intercultural Programs; theOne-Yea r Prog ra m; R itsu mei k a n-U BC (t he Un iversit y ofRitsumeikan Timeline
1869

Prince Kinmochi Saionji founds the private academy“Ritsumeikan” on the site of the Kyoto Imperial Palace

1900

Kojuro Nakagawa, former secretary of Prince Saionji, establishes
the Kyoto Hosei School

1913

The school adopts the name “Ritsumeikan”

1922

2007

College of Image Arts and Sciences is established / Ritsumeikan
Moriyama Junior High School is established in Moriyama
City, Shiga Prefecture / Graduate School of Public Policy isestablished at Suzaku Campus / In College of Social Sciences,
Department of Social Sciences, and Department of Human
Welfare are combined to form Department of Social Sciences /Tokyo Campus is establishedThe school name officially changes to Ritsumeikan University

2008

Colleges of Life Sciences and Pharmaceutical Sciences areestablished

1945

President Hiroshi Suekawa introduces a series of democratic
reforms, including the Plenary Council and Presidential Election
System2009

The Kyoto Studies Program and the Language andCommunication Program are established in College of Letters

1965

Kinugasa Campus is established in Kyoto City’s Kita Ward2010

College of Sport and Health Science and Graduate school ofSport and Health Science are established1994

Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC) is established in Kusatsu City,
Shiga Prefecture / Uji Academy is merged with Ritsumeikan Uji
Junior and Senior High School

2011

Global Studies Major is established in College of International
Relations / Graduate School of Image Arts and Sciences isestablished

1995

Keisho Academy is merged with Ritsumeikan Keisho Junior andSenior High School

2000

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is established in Beppu City,
Oita Prefecture

2004

Ritsumeikan University School of Law is established at Kinugasa
Campus2012

2005

Ritsumeikan University Graduate School of Technology
Management is established at BKC

Graduate Schools of Information Science and Engineeringand Life Sciences are established / In College of Science andEngineering, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineeringand Department of Photonics are combined to form Departmentof Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Department of VLSI
System Design changes its name to Department of Electronicand Computer Engineering / Department of MechanicalEngineering and Department of Micro System Technology arecombined to form Department of Mechanical Engineering / In
College of Letters, 14 majors and programs are combined and 8programs and 18 majors are established2006

Suzaku Campus is established in Kyoto City’s Nakagyo Ward/ Ritsumeikan Moriyama Senior High School is establishedin Moriyama City, Shiga Prefecture / Ritsumeikan Primary
School is established in Kyoto’s Kita Ward / Graduate School ofManagement is established at Suzaku Campus

2013

Community and Regional Policy Studies Major is establishedin College of Policy Science / Dalian University of TechnologyRitsumeikan University International School of Information
Science and Engineering is establishedBritish Columbia) Academic Immersion Program; and the Dual
Undergraduate Degree Program / Dual Masters Degree Programwith American University. As a result of these programs andthe extensive global network Ritsumeikan has developed, theuniversity now has one of the largest international student bodies
in western Japan, offering numerous invaluable overseas study
opportunities to its students.
Today, Ritsumeikan University offers a wide range of courses
in advanced studies at Kinugasa Campus in Kyoto, BiwakoKusatsu Campus (BKC) in Shiga, and Osaka Ibaraki Campus(OIC) in Osaka. The year 2020 marked the 150th anniversaryof the founding of the Ritsumeikan private school and the 120th
year of the establishment of Ritsumeikan University. Previously,
to commemorate the 100th anniversary, Ritsumeikan opened aninternational educational institution, Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific
University (APU), in Oita Prefecture in April 2000. The additionof APU has given new momentum to Ritsumeikan as it continues
to adhere to its founding spirit into the 21st century. To date, theRitsumeikan Trust has evolved into a comprehensive educational
institution consisting of two universities, four senior high schools,
four junior high schools, and one primary school.

The Origins of the Name “Ritsumeikan”
The word ritsumei comes from a passage in the Jinxin chapter ofthe Discourses of Mencius. This passage states that:“Some die young, as some live long lives. This is decided by fate.
Therefore, one’s duty consists of cultivating one’s mind during
this mortal span and thereby establishing one’s destiny.”

2014

Graduate School of Pharmacy is established / Major inInformatics of Behavior and Cultures is established in Graduate
School of Letters and the system of 2 majors with 15 specialized
courses is established / Ritsumeikan Junior and Senior HighSchool moves from Fukakusa Campus to Nagaokakyo Campus

Kyoto Museum for World Peace
To learn from history and express a desire for a peaceful future,
the Kyoto Museum for World Peace at Ritsumeikan University was
opened in May 1992 as the world’s first peace museum run by auniversity.

2015

Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC) is established in Ibaraki City, Osaka
Prefecture / College of Business Administration, College of Policy
Science, Graduate School of Business Administration, Graduate
School of Policy Science, Graduate School of Technology
Management, and Graduate School of Management are moved
to OIC / Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is establishedin College of Pharmaceutical Sciences

2016

College of Comprehensive Psychology is established / Hirai
Kaichiro Memorial Library is opened

2017

Graduate School of Professional Teacher Education isestablished / In College of Information Science and Engineering,Information Science and Engineering course is established toform seven courses in one college / College of Economics isreorganized to form two majors in one department

2018

College of Gastronomy Management is established / American
University-Ritsumeikan University Joint Degree Program isestablished in College of International Relations / Graduate
School of Science for Human Services is reorganized / Graduate
School of Human Science is established2019

College of Global Liberal Arts is established

Period: April 2021 - September 2023 (tentative)
Tel: 075-465-8151

2020

Major in Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Graduate School ofPharmacy is established (Master’s Program)An announcement will be posted on the website once the details have been
decided on when the museum will re-open.

2021

Graduate School of Gastronomy Management is established

Notice of closure concurrent with renovations

Academy Over v iew
The Founding Spirit and Educational Ideals of the Ritsumeikan Academy
The Ritsumeikan Academy was founded in 1900 as the Kyoto
Hosei School (Kyoto School of Law and Politics), an evening
law school open to working people. The school was founded byKojuro Nakagawa, former secretary to Prince Kinmochi Saionji,
liberal statesman of late 19th and early 20th Century Japan. With
Saionji’s blessing, the name was changed to Ritsumeikan Private
University in 1913. The university established itself upon the spiritof “freedom and innovation” and set “peace and democracy” as itscore educational philosophy.
The Ritsumeikan Academy has now become an integrated academy
with a rich culture of individuality and international awarenessaccommodating a total of approximately 50,000 students. The
current Ritsumeikan Academy has campuses in Hokkaido, Shiga,Kyoto, Osaka, and Oita and encompasses two universities, fourhigh schools, four junior high schools, and one primary school.
Since Ritsumeikan’s establishment, approximately 420,000 students
have graduated from Ritsumeikan University and 20,000 fromRitsumeikan Asia Pacif ic University (APU). The Ritsumeikan

Academy fosters learning and the development of individual talents
in order to nurture just and ethical global citizens.

Tomomi Morishima

Chairperson of the Board of Trustees
The Ritsumeikan Trust

Yoshio Nakatani Ph.D.
Chancellor of The Ritsumeikan Trust
President of Ritsumeikan University[Ritsumeikan Academy Member Institutions]
Lake Biwa

Ritsumeikan Primary School
Ritsumeikan University
Kinugasa Campus

Kyoto City

Otsu City

Ritsumeikan University
Suzaku Campus

Ritsumeikan Moriyama
Junior High School
Ritsumeikan Moriyama
Senior High School

Ritsumeikan Keisho Junior High School
Ritsumeikan Keisho Senior High School

Ritsumeikan University
Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC)
Ritsumeikan Junior High School
Ritsumeikan Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Uji Junior High School
Ritsumeikan Uji Senior High School

Ritsumeikan University
Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC)

Ritsumeikan Tokyo Campus

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU)

Ritsumeikan Plaza Campus
Ritsumeikan Osaka Umeda Campus

Overseas hubsEurope
UK (London)

Asia
China (Beijing)

Indonesia (Jakarta)

Taiwan (Taipei)

China (Shanghai)South Korea (Seoul)

ASEAN (Hanoi)

India (Delhi)

Thailand (Bangkok)

Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)

North America
Canada (Vancouver)United States (Washington, D.C.)

Basic Data of the Ritsumeikan Academy
The Ritsumeikan Academy
Tradition

Overseas hubs

Ritsumeikan traces its history back to1869 when Prince Saionji founded aprivate academy of the same name.

No. of schools
Universities and schools in theAcademy

Years since
founding

12Years since theestablishment of the Academy

152 122
Universities

Junior/SeniorHigh Schools

UK (London)
China (Beijing, Shanghai)Taiwan (Taipei)
Thailand (Bangkok)
India (Delhi)
ASEAN (Hanoi)

Primary School

2 4 1

Vietnam (Ho Chi Minh City)
Indonesia (Jakarta)
South Korea (Seoul)
Canada (Vancouver)United States(Washington, D.C.)

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University
Accreditations

No. of international partner
institutions (as of May 1, 2022)

APU is internationallyaccredited in the fields
of management andtourism studies

International
student ratio (AY2022)

498 75

No. of countries & regions represented
by the international student body163

institutions

Percentage of domestic students
from the Kanto region (AY2022)

47.3

25.0%

(since inception)

Times Higher Education Japan
University Rankings 2022
Environment

1%

countries &regions

stAlumni AssociationChapters37

Overall rank*

1st(28 countries & regions)(5 years running)*private universities in Western Japan

Affiliated Schools
Accreditations and Designations

Rate of internal advancementfrom high school

Ritsumeikan Uji
Senior High School

Ritsumeikan Senior High School
Ritsumeikan University Keisho Senior High School
Ritsumeikan Moriyama Senior High School

Ritsumeikan Uji
Senior High School

Ritsumeikan University
Keisho Senior High School

75.3%

Primary school ICT
educationNo. of foreign partner schools (as of April 1, 2022)
Primary School

NagaokakyoUjiMoriyamaKeisho

3 14 5 4 11MicrosoftShowcaseSchool

Ritsumeikan University
No. of students (as of May 01, 2022)

International student intake (as of May 1, 2022)

2,728

Graduate students

Undergraduate students

33,094 3,731

students
fromPercentage of applicants fromoutside the Kinki region

No. of colleges & graduate schools

graduateschools(known by the university)133

1st in Japan%(General examination applicants, AY2022)

approx.

390,000

Times Higher Education Japan
University Rankings 2022
Among private
universities

8thTHE Impact Ranking 2022
Among private
universities

2nd

QS World University
Rankings 2022
Among privateuniversities

3rdPrefecturalchapters

52Overseaschapters(as of May 1, 2022)

34463 68

universities /institutions countries & regions

Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (AY2022)

No. of research hubs

Amount No.

ResearchOrganizations

4

among private

th universities

Source: JASSO

No. of international partner institutions

No. of alumni and Alumni Association chapters
Alumnicountries& regions

No. of Japanese students sent overseas

16 21 52.2
colleges

77

5

among privateth universities

Source: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

ResearchInstitutes

ResearchCenters

6 15 33

Ritsumeikan Advanced Research Academy(RARA)

4th Mid-Term Plan for Research
Advancement

No. of fellows appointed to raise the level of research

25 programs supported with an internal budget ofover 1 billion yen

10Fellows

10

No. of students passing thenational civil servant examination
for career-track positions (AY2022)

63

25

Associate Fellows

7th in Japan

Source: National Personnel Authority

No. of female faculty (AY2021)

298

4th in Japan

programs

No. of students passing
the CPA Examination(AY2022)

54

5th in Japan

Source: Mitakai survey of CPAs

10billion yen+

No. ofuniversity-launchedventures (AY2021)

87

5thamong private
universities

Source: METI

No. of International faculty (AY2021)

146

3rd in Japan

Source: University Rankings (Asahi Shimbun Publications)You determine the future.
W hat is the future?
The future is uncertaint y. There are no right answers.
Therefore, YOU can create it yourself.
Histor y can be a ltered by the will of a single individua l.
That individua l could be YOU.
A ll that you dream, ever y thing that inspires and cha llenges you,helps shape the future.
Here is where k nowledge and societ y intersect.
… where individua ls interact with others, and ever yone benef its.
The unk nown world beckons, and pathways to the future open up.
Now, come meet the YOU you’ve never k nown!
The world as we see it may seem unpredictable,
but together we can see it as something different.
Regardless of how diff icult your individua l path may be,
you have someone here who will encourage you, and cheer you on.
Do not fa lter, do not fear.
The future is yours.

About the tagline

About the logo

■ Primary slogan: Futurize.

The non-regular squares used in the cover design symbolize the free flow of ideas
needed to break free from past conventions, to overcome the hesitation to be ourunique selves, to dare to be different, and to take on challenges without seeking
stability. The dot, the smallest unit of any image, expresses the human potentialof the digital age. Starting from a single square, you can freely envision infinite
possibilities beyond the defined limits. This square logo has no fixed shapeand can be transformed into various other shapes. Ritsumeikan’s new tagline,"Futurize,” expresses our determination to shape an unpredictable future with ourown hands, and the logo is intended to intuitively convey this concept.

As we approach the year 2030, the world will change at an increasingly rapid
pace and become more unpredictable than ever before. There will be no rightanswers. What we need in times like these is a commitment to the future. At
Ritsumeikan, we will not be bound by conventional wisdom, frameworks, orstereotypes, but rather we will question them and propose what the future shouldlook like. We have formulated this slogan with the intention of demonstrating thisattitude to our students at every level and our faculty and staff with the aim of
inspiring to keep tackling new challenges. It is also intended to present an imageof Ritsumeikan to the public as an Academy that takes on the challenges of an
ideal future and to create a driving force for both research and education.
■ Secondary slogan: You determine the future.
In a world where there are no right answers, it is important that a diverse arrayof efforts to tackle challenges emerge from the individuality and values of eachand every person. Furthermore, the combination of these efforts will create newvalues that have never been seen before. This secondary slogan is intended tofurther develop the culture of diversity that Ritsumeikan has fostered to date andto encourage our students at every level and our faculty and staff to tackle thechallenges of the future.

Colleges, Graduate Schools, and Aff iliated schools
Ritsumeikan University [16 colleges, 21 graduate schools]

No. of students: 36,825Kinugasa Campus

5No. of students: 13,773

College of Law

College of Social Sciences

College of International
Relations

3,139

3,316

1,454

College of Letters

4,354Colleges

7

Graduate School of Law

Graduate School of Sociology

Graduate School ofInternational Relations

46132

183

College of Image Arts andSciences

Graduate School of Letters

Graduate School of Image Arts

Graduate School of Language
Education and Information Science685

186

2171

Graduate
Schools

Graduate School of Core Ethics
and Frontier Sciences

186

Biwako-Kusatsu Campus (BKC)

7Colleges

No. of students: 15,725

College of Economics

College of Sport and HealthScience

College of Gastronomy
Management3,242

1,030

1,261

College of Science andEngineering

College of Information
Science and Engineering

4,071

2,019

7

Graduate School ofEconomics

Graduate School ofSport and Health Science

Graduate School ofGastronomy Management

10711440

College of Life Sciences

Graduate School of
Science and Engineering

Graduate School of Information
Science and Engineering

Graduate School ofLife Sciences

1,277

898

435335

Graduate
Schools

College of PharmaceuticalSciences

Graduate School of Pharmacy

816

80

Osaka Ibaraki Campus (OIC)

4Colleges

No. of students: 7,137

College of Business
Administration

College of Policy Science

College of Comprehensive
Psychology

3,312

1,684

1,156

5

Graduate School ofBusiness Administration

Graduate School of
Policy Science

Graduate School of
Human Science

112

87231

College of Global Liberal Arts

Graduate School ofTechnology Management

Graduate School ofManagement

278

155

122

Graduate
Schools

Suzaku Campus

No. of students: 190

2Graduate
Schools

School of Law

Graduate School ofProfessional Teacher Education

131

59

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University [2 colleges, 2 graduate schools]

2Colleges

College of
Asia Pacific Studies

College of International
Management

2,689

2,646

* The College of Sustainability
and Tourism (enrollment
capacity: 350) is scheduled
to open in April 2023.

2Graduate
Schools

No. of students: 5,553

Graduate School ofAsia Pacific Studies

Graduate School ofManagement

152

66

Affiliated schools
Ritsumeikan JuniorHigh School

Ritsumeikan SeniorHigh School

Ritsumeikan Uji JuniorHigh School

Ritsumeikan Uji SeniorHigh School

Ritsumeikan Keisho
Junior High School

Ritsumeikan Keisho
Senior High School

Ritsumeikan Moriyama
Junior High School

Ritsumeikan Moriyama
Senior High School

Ritsumeikan Primary
School

735

1,082

536

1,203

579

953

557

1,047

708

As of May 1, 2022

The Ritsumeikan Trust
Published: March 2023

Ritsumeikan
University

APU