Nihon University

Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading private universities. The university's name is derived from the Japanese word "Nihon" meaning Japan. Nihon University now has "16 colleges and 87 departments, 20 postgraduate schools, 1 junior college which is composed of 5 departments, 1 correspondence division, 32 research institutes and 3 hospitals." The number of students exceeds 70,000 and is the largest in Japan.

Nihon University

Nihon University Casals Hall
Type	Private
Established	1889
Founder	Yamada Akiyoshi
President	Takeo Sakai (until March 31, 2024)
Academic staff	4,168
Administrative staff	1,720
Students	70,821
Undergraduates	68,817
Location	Chiyoda , Tokyo , Japan 35°41′28″N 139°44′15″E / 35.691°N 139.737608°E / 35.691; 139.737608
Campus	622 acres (252 ha)
Colors	Pink
Mascot	Phoenix
Website	www.nihon-u.ac.jp

Most of the university's campuses are in the Kantō region, with the vast majority in Tokyo or surrounding areas, although two campuses are as far away from Tokyo as Shizuoka Prefecture and Fukushima Prefecture. These campuses mostly accommodate single colleges or schools (gakubu (学部) in Japanese). In December 2016 the university acquired the former Newcastle Court House in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia for A$6.6 million as its inaugural international campus.

The university comprises a federation of colleges and institutes known for having produced numerous Japanese CEOs. Its College of Art (日芸 — Nichigei), located right next to Ekoda train station in Tokyo's Nerima ward, is well-known for producing many artists who represent Japan in photography, theater, and cinema. In addition, the university has over 20 affiliated high schools bearing its name across Japan, from which a significant number of students go on to study at the institution as undergraduates.

Colleges and departments

• College of Law (1889-; Chiyoda, Tokyo & Saitama, Saitama)
  • Law / Political Science and Economics / Journalism / Management Law / Public Administration
• College of Humanities and Sciences (1901-; Setagaya, Tokyo)
  • Philosophy / History / Japanese Language and Literature / Chinese Language and Culture / English Literature / German Literature
  • Sociology / Education / Physical Education / Psychology
  • Geography / Geosystem Sciences / Mathematics / Computer Science and System Analysis / Physics / Integrated Science in Physics and Biology / Chemistry
• College of Economics (1904-; Chiyoda, Tokyo)
  • Economics (1st division / 2nd division / international course) / Industrial Management / Finance and Public Economics
• College of Commerce (1904-; Setagaya, Tokyo)
  • Commerce / Business Administration / Accounting

 

• College of Art (1921-; Nerima, Tokyo & Tokorozawa, Saitama)
  • Photography / Cinema / Fine Arts / Music / Literary Arts / Drama / Broadcasting / Design
• College of International Relations (1978-; Mishima, Shizuoka)
  • International Relations / Intercultural Relations / Global Exchange Studies / International Business and Information
• College of Science and Technology (1920-; Chiyoda, Tokyo & Funabashi, Chiba)
  • Civil Engineering / Transportation Engineering and Socio-Technology / Architecture / Oceanic Architecture and Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Precision Machinery Engineering / Aerospace Engineering / Electrical Engineering / Electronics and Computer Science / Materials and Applied Chemistry / Physics / Mathematics
• College of Industrial Technology (1952-; Narashino, Chiba)
  • Mechanical Engineering / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Civil Engineering / Architecture and Architectural Engineering / Applied Molecular Chemistry / Industrial Engineering and Management / Mathematical Information Engineering / Liberal Arts and Basic Science
• College of Engineering (1947-; Koriyama, Fukushima)
  • Civil Engineering / Architecture / Mechanical Engineering / Electrical and Electronics Engineering / Materials Chemistry and Engineering / Computer Science
• School of Medicine (1925-; Itabashi, Tokyo)
  • Medicine
• School of Dentistry (1921-; Chiyoda, Tokyo)
  • Dentistry
• School of Dentistry at Matsudo (1971-; Matsudo, Chiba)
  • Dentistry
• College of Bioresource Science (1943-; Fujisawa, Kanagawa)
  • Plant Science and Resources / Animal Sciences and Resources / Marine Sciences and Resources / Forest Sciences and Resources / Bioenvironmental and Agricultural Resources / Food Science and Technology / Agricultural and Biological Chemistry / Applied Biological Sciences / Food Economics / International Development Studies / Veterinary Medicine
• College of Pharmacy (1952-; Narashino, Chiba)
  • Pharmacy / Biological Pharmacy
• Correspondence Division (1948-; Chiyoda, Tokyo)

Graduate schools

• Advanced Research Institute for the Sciences and Humanities
• Graduate School of Law
• Graduate School of Liberal Arts
• Graduate School of Science and Technology
• Graduate School of Integrated Basic Sciences
• Graduate School of Economics
• Graduate School of Commerce
• Graduate School of Art
• Graduate School of International Relations
• Graduate School of Industrial Technology
• Graduate School of Engineering
• Graduate School of Medicine
• Graduate School of Dentistry
• Graduate School of Dentistry at Matsudo
• Graduate School of Bioresource Science
• Graduate School of Pharmacy
• Graduate School of Business
• Graduate School of Social and Cultural Studies
• Law School

See Academic staff of Nihon University

* Did not graduate.

• Abe Shuji, President and CEO of Yoshinoya
• Akio Mori, physiologist and writer
• Akira Gomi, photographer
• Banana Yoshimoto, writer
• C. W. Nicol, environmentalist
• Daishōmaru Shōgo, sumo wrestler
• Daisuke Ono, voice actor
• Takehiko Orimo, basketball player
• Dong Biwu, Chinese communist revolutionary, Acting President of the People's Republic of China (1972–1975)
• Endō Shōta, sumo wrestler
• Hamanoshima Keishi, sumo wrestler
• Hidenoumi Takuya, sumo wrestler
• Higonoumi Naoya, sumo wrestler
• Hiroko Mima, Miss Japan Universe and 15th runner-up for Miss Universe
• Hiroshi Suga, photographer
• Hiroshi Watanabe, photographer
• Hiroshi Yamazaki, photographer
• Hiroyuki Sanada, actor and martial artist
• Ian Buruma, writer
• Ichiro Ozawa, statesman*
• Ishiura Masakatsu, sumo wrestler
• Jōkōryū Takayuki, sumo wrestler
• Jun Konno, judo wrestler
• Junya Koizumi, statesman
• Kōtarō Iizawa, photographic critic
• Ken Domon, photographer*
• Kishin Shinoyama, photographer
• Koichi Hamada, statesman
• Kotomitsuki Keiji, sumo wrestler
• Kyuichi Tokuda, lawyer, politician, leader of the Japanese Communist Party (1945–1950)
• Mainoumi Shūhei, sumo wrestler
• Makoto Hasegawa, basketball player
• Makoto Koga, statesman
• Makoto Takimoto, judo wrestler
• Masato Matsuura, CEO of Avex Group
• Maximo Blanco, wrestler; professional Mixed Martial Artist in the UFC's Featherweight Division
• Megumi Han, Voice actress and singer
• Miyako Matsumoto, actress and professional wrestler
• Remi Matsuo, musician and artist
• Satoyama Kōsaku, sumo wrestler
• Shoji Meguro, video game music composer
• Sido Nakamura, actor*
• Takamisakari Seiken, sumo wrestler
• Takashi Sasano, actor*
• Tetsuya Ichimura, photographer*
• Tomoyuki Furumaya, film director
• Toru Yano, professional wrestler
• Toshiaki Kasuga, comedian
• Tsutomu Sato, statesman
• Wajima Hiroshi, sumo wrestler, the 54th yokozuna
• Yasuaki Kurata, actor and martial artist
• Yasuhiro Sonoda, statesman
• Yoshikazu Tanaka, CEO and Founder of GREE Inc.
• Yoshino Ōishi, photojournalist
• Yoshinobu Nishizaki, animator
• Yoshisada Yonezuka, 9th Dan (Kudan) Judo Instructor
• Yoshiyuki Tomino, animator
• Yui Hasegawa, footballer
• Yutaka Takanashi, photographer
• Yutaka Yaguchi, 9th Dan Shotokan Karate Master
• Kei Tomiyama, voice actor*
• Kentaro Miura, mangaka

American football team scandals

Dirty tackle

In May 2018, at an American football game between the Nihon University Phoenix and the Kwansei Gakuin University Fighters, a Nihon University team member violently tackled an opposing team member from behind after play was over. The tackled Kwansei Gakuin team member received an injury in his back ligaments as a result, and had to take a month out from football to recover. A third-party committee convened by Nihon University to investigate the incident found that the Nihon University team's coach and assistant coach had instructed a team member to dirty-tackle that particular player on the Kwansei Gakuin team. Furthermore, another independent investigation, by the Kantoh Collegiate American Football Association, reached the same conclusion, and expelled the coaches from the Association. Nihon University reached an out-of-court settlement with the injured Kwansei Gakuin team player. A decision by Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department not to prosecute the coaches was harshly criticized by those who had carried out the above investigations.

Drug possession

Three members of the Nihon University American football team were arrested between August and November 2023 for suspicion of using cannabis. In August 2023 police searched the team's dormitory after the university found pieces of a plant and pills there the previous month. The university suspended the team's activities in September following the first arrest. Following a second arrest in October, it was reported that notes from an August meeting of university executives suggested ten or more members of the American football team may have used cannabis.

In November 2023 the Nihon University Board of Trustees recommended the resignation of its President Takeo Sakai and its Vice President Yasuhiro Sawada, while Trustees Chair Mariko Hayashi agreed to a 50% pay cut. Soon after a third person was arrested, Japanese news sources reported that Nihon University planned to disband its American football team after a history of 83 years, during which it won the Koshien Bowl 21 times and the Rice Bowl four times. A third-party investigation into how the matter was handled, led by lawyer Hideaki Kubori, suggested a culture of secrecy and xenophobia on the part of university officials.

Alleged tax evasion by Chairman of the Board

On November 29, 2021, the former chairman of the board of Nihon University, Hidetoshi Tanaka, was arrested for alleged tax evasion, and indicted by prosecutors on December 20. Tanaka had allegedly received approximately 118 million yen in bribes from 2018 to 2020 paid by contractors in return for contracts being awarded for work at Nihon University. He had allegedly failed to declare the money as income, thus allegedly evading payment of approximately 52 million yen in tax. Tanaka announced his resignation on December 1, 2021. By accepting his resignation rather than dismissing him, the board ensured that Tanaka would remain eligible for a retirement bonus of hundreds of millions of yen.

• Casals Hall, a chamber music venue owned by Nihon University