is one of the two most prestigious
private universities in
Japan alongside its rival
Waseda University. The university has a history as Japan's very first private institution of higher learning, which dates back to the formation of a school for Dutch studies in
1858 in Edo (now Tokyo) by founder
Yukichi Fukuzawa. It is a member of the
Tokyo 6 Universities. Its baseball team plays in the
Tokyo 6 Universities Alliance (league).
History

Keio University (library, Mita campus)
Keio was founded in
1858 by
Fukuzawa Yukichi, who had studied the Western educational system at
Brown University in the
United States. While KeiÅ's initial identity was that of a private school of Western studies, it expanded and established its first university faculty in
1890, and became known as an influential leader in Japanese higher education.
Rugby union was first introduced to Japanese students at KeiÅ University by
Edward Bramwell Clarke and
Tanaka Ginnosuke. (The game had been played in the treaty ports of
Yokohama and
Kobe before that, but not between Japanese teams.)
Academics
Since the school's inception, the students of Keio have risen to the forefront of innovation in every imaginable academic field, emerging as social and economic leaders.
In today's internationally interdependent world, Keio places great effort upon maintaining the finest teaching faculty and superlative facilities. Based on the knowledge and experience of their predecessors, today's Keio students strive to develop the leadership qualities that will enable them to make valuable contributions to tomorrow's society. In
2008 the University will celebrate its sesquicentennial (150th) anniversary.
It is a member of
LAOTSE (which also includes two other Tokyo universities, the
University of Tokyo and the
Tokyo Institute of Technology), an international network of leading universities in
Europe and
Asia exchanging students and senior scholars. Keio University is the Japanese host of the
World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), whose staff work primarily at the Shonan Fujisawa Campus.
Campus
The main campus is in
Mita-
cho,
Minato-
ku,
Tokyo. Additional campuses include
Hiyoshi,
Shinanomachi,
Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) designed by
Fumihiko Maki,
Tsuruoka Town Campus of Keio (TTCK) and
Yagami. The university also operates
high schools,
senior schools, and a
primary school,
Keio Shonan-Fujisawa Junior & Senior High School,
Keio Senior High School,
Keio Shiki Boy's Senior High School,
Keio Girl's Senior High School,
Keio Academy of New York,
Keio Futsubu School,
Keio Chutobu Junior High School,
Keio Gijuku Yochisha primary School.
Professors
The Present Professor
★
Heizo Takenaka, Minister of Internal Affairs and Communications (Japan)
★
Shiro Asano, Former Governor
Former Professor
★
Kafu Nagai, Member of
Japan Art Academy,
Order of Culture
★
Shinobu Orikuchi, Ethnologist
★
Shibasaburo Kitasato, nominated for
Nobel Prize
★
Ryogo Kubo, the
Boltzmann Medal,
Order of Culture
★
Joseph E. Stiglitz, Professor of
Columbia University,
Nobel Prize in Economics (visiting professor)
Alumni
Keio is known for producing numerous politicians.
Notable alumni include:
Politicians
★
Junichiro Koizumi, former
Prime Minister of Japan, President of
Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (Economics 1967)
★
Ryutaro Hashimoto, Former (1996–1998)
Prime Minister of Japan (Law 1960)
★
IchirÅ Ozawa, President of
Democratic Party of Japan, Former Secretary General of
Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (Economics 1967)
★
Tamisuke Watanuki, President of
People's New Party, Former Speaker of The
House of Representatives of Japan (Economics 1950)
★
Kenji Kosaka, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Law 1968)
★
Jiro Kawasaki, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare (Business and Commerce 1971)
★
Andrew Thomson, Minister for Sport and Tourism and Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for the Sydney 2000 Games in the Australian Government 1997 - 1998
★
Shigefumi Matsuzawa, Governor of
Kanagawa (Law 1982)
★
Akihiko Noro, Governor of
Mie (Science and Technology 1969)
★
Daijiro Hashimoto, Governor of
Kochi (Economics 1970 and Law 1972)
★
Genjiro Kaneko, Governor of
Nagasaki (Letters 1968)
★
Yuzan Fujita, Governor of
Hiroshima (Business and Commerce 1972)
★
Keiichi Inamine, Governor of
Okinawa (Economics 1957)
★
Ichiro Fujisaki, Chairman of Executive Committee of
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Law Dropout 1969)
★
Shinichi Kitajima, Permanent Representative of Japan to the
OECD (Economics 1971)
★
Masaharu Ikuta, President of
Japan Post, Former CEO of
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (Economics 1957)
★
Atsushi Saito, CEO and President of Industrial Revitalization Corporation of Japan (Business & Commerce 1963)
★
Hideo Shinozaki, Director General of National Institute of Public Health (Medicine)
★
Toru Kawajiri, President of The National Institute for Defense Studies (Economics 1973)
★
Tsuyoshi Inukai, the 29th
Prime Minister of Japan, leader of
Rikken Seiyukai
★
Yukio Ozaki, minister of education (Dropout)
★
Nobuteru Ishihara,
Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport
★
Hirofumi Nakasone, minister of education
Finance
★
Taizo Nishimuro, Chairman and CEO of
Tokyo Stock Exchange, Former CEO of
Toshiba Corporation (Economics 1961)
★
Toshio Ando, Chairman of Japan Securities Dealers Association, Chairman of Nomura Asset Management (Law 1974)
★
Shigeharu Suzuki, President and CEO of
Daiwa Securities Group (Economics 1971)
★
Junichi Arimura, President and CEO of
Nikko Cordial Corporation (Business and Commerce 1973)
★
Toshiaki Ito, CEO and President of
JAFCO (Law 1971)
★
Masanori Mochida, President of
Goldman Sachs Japan (Economics)
★
Kensuke Hotta, Chairman of
Morgan Stanley Japan (Economics)
★
Haruyasu Asakura, Managing Director and Head of Japan Growth Capital team of
Carlyle Group (Science and Technology)
★
Taisuke Sasanuma, Founder and Representative Partner of
Advantage Partners (Law, MBA)
Media
★
Shoichi Ueno, Owner of ''
The Asahi Shimbun'' (Law 1958)
★
Tohru Shohriki, Owner of ''
The Yomiuri Shimbun'' (Economics 1942)
★
Takuo Takihana, President of ''
The Yomiuri Shimbun'' (Law 1963)
★
Takehiko Kiyohara, Chairman of ''
The Sankei Shimbun'' (Law 1962)
★
Nagayoshi Sumida, President of ''
The Sankei Shimbun'' (Economics 1969)
★
Michisada Hirose, Chairman of The National Association of Commercial Broadcasting in Japan, Chairman of the Board of
TV Asahi Corporation (Law 1958)
★
Shintaro Kubo, President of
Nippon Television Network (Economics 1968)
★
Yukio Sunahara, Chairman and CEO of
Tokyo Broadcasting System (Letters 1961)
Other Businessmen
★
Kakutaro Kitashiro, Leader of Japan Association of Corporate Executives, Chairman of
IBM Japan (Science and Technology 1967)
★
Katsuaki Watanabe, President of
Toyota Motor Corporation (Economics 1964)
★
Yuzaburo Mogi, Chairman and CEO of
Kikkoman Corporation (Law 1958)
★
Takashi Ushiku, President and COO of
Kikkoman Corporation (Economics 1963)
★
Shinzo Maeda, President and CEO of
Shiseido (Letters 1970)
★
Kazuyasu Kato, President of
Kirin Brewery (Business and Commerce 1968)
★
Yoji Ohashi, Chairman of the Board of
All Nippon Airways (Law 1964)
★
Shinji Yamamoto, Partner and Head of
Bain and Company Japan (Economics 1982)
★
Yoshiaki Sakito, President of
Apple Computer Japan (Master Science and Technology 1983)
★
Yoshio Nakamura, Acting Director General of
Japan Business Federation
★
Ichizo Kobayashi, Founder of
Hankyu Railway and the
Takarazuka Revue, Minister of Commerce and Industry in the 1940 Konoe Cabinet
★
Fusanosuke Kuhara
★
Nobutada Saji, Chief executive of Suntory Ltd.
★
Toshio Kagami, CEO of
Oriental Land Company
Entertainment
★
Koji Suzuki, Horror author, author of
Ring
★
Takashi Matsumoto, Lyricist, former member of
Happy End
★
Yusuke Miyazaki, Musician (Keyboardist/Pianist)
★
Yujiro Ishihara, Actor (Dropout)
★
Yukana, voice actress (
seiyū) and singer (Law)
★
Yo Hitoto, Singer (Environmental Studies)
★
Yuzo Kayama, Actor (Law)
★
Ryo Fukawa, Comedian (Economics)
★
Sho Sakurai, Singer, member of group,
Arashi (Economics)
★
Takahiro Konagawa, Musician, member of band,
Charcoal Filter (Dropout)
★
Asami Konno, Singer, former member of group,
Morning Musume (Currently attending), (Environmental Studies, admission office)
★
Kreva, Singer, member of
Kick the Can Crew
★
Tigarah,
Baile Funk emcee
★
Ichikawa Ennosuke III, Kabuki actor
★
Misako Konno, Actress, Ambassadress of
United Nations Development Programme
★
Mariya Takeuchi, Musician (Literature, Dropout)
★
Fumi Yoshinaga,
mangaka
Art
★
Rei Kawakubo, Designer (founder of Comme des Garcons label)
★
Yohji Yamamoto, Fashion Designer
★
Shusaku Endo,
Akutagawa Prize,
Order of Culture(Literature)
★
Daigaku Horiguchi, Poet, Translator, Member of
Japan Art Academy
★
EtÅ Jun, literary critic
★
Hiroshi Aramata, Professor of
Nihon University
★
Sakutaro Hagiwara, Poet
★
Kyusaku Yumeno, Surrealistic detective novelist
Others
★
Tsunekazu Takeda, Chairman of Japanese Olympic Committee (Law 1970)
★
Chiaki Mukai, Surgeon and astronaut
★
Theodor Holm "Ted" Nelson, Computer architect, visionary, and contrarian (PhD, Media and Governance, 2002)
★
Sosuke Sumitani, Announcer (Economics)
★
Yoshio Taniguchi, Architect (Mechanical Engineering)
★
Yusuke Amimori, Hardcore Gamers (Economics)
★
Ken Sakamura, Professor of
University of Tokyo, Creator of
TRON,
Takeda Award (Engineering)
See also
★
Auto-ID Labs
★
Keio Shonan-Fujisawa Junior & Senior High School
★ ''
Sakura Tsushin'' ("Sakura Diaries"), a
manga and
anime series by
U-jin which prominently features Keio University.
External links
★
Keio University website
★
Keio Institute for Advanced Biosciences/TTCK
★
Shonan Fujisawa Campus
★
Keio Academy of New York
★
Keio Organization for Global Initiatives (OGI)