Hokkai-Gakuen University, Toyohira Campus

Hokkai-Gakuen has grown successfully as an educational institution in this vast Northern land during our more than 130 years of history. Based on our early history, Hokkai-Gakuen was reborn as Hokkai-Gakuen University in 1952. Here in the land of that rebirth, the University pursues its founding goal of instilling in students a pioneering spirit that allows them to stand independently without over-reliance on fellow students or established authority.

Although the University has faced many difficulties in the more than half a century since its foundation, we have overcome all hardships, thanks to the persistent efforts of our predecessors, who made significant achievements by sticking to the pioneering spirit, a dauntless, free spirit. Now the University enjoys a reputation as one of the finest private universities in Hokkaido.

The pioneering spirit, the spirit of our foundation, has not faded. Keeping it in mind, our faculty members have devoted themselves to the education of talented people, while envisioning the University’s further development.

Our graduates, also keeping the celebrated frontier spirit in mind, are playing active roles in society as leaders in their respective fields. Currently enrolled students are determined to take on today’s challenges with the same spirit, exploring their potential with courage and confidence through proactive studies, independent thinking and responsible action.

The pioneering spirit, the spirit of our foundation, promises to shine ever brighter as a touchstone for the University’s further development.

Ever since its foundation, HGU has continued to expand, becoming the largest private university in Hokkaido. Today it possesses five faculties (Economics, Law, Engineering, Humanities, and Business Administration), five graduate schools offering Master’s and Doctorate Courses, and a graduate Law School. Over 85,000 men and women have graduated from HGU, and many of them are active throughout Hokkaido in the areas of administration, politics, law, commerce, education, industry, and others.

As a regionally oriented university, HGU has devoted most of its energy to the nurturing of local leadership in Hokkaido. But the target of HGU’s education can no longer be solely the development of Hokkaido and the training of regional leaders. A regional outlook, or even a national outlook, is outdated in this age of globalization, and a focus on one’s own region or country must be broadened. Now our outlook should be global in order to meet global standards. Global standards are the common frame of reference within which all human activities, including higher education, should be performed. The university curriculum must also be revised so as to meet the needs posed by the process of globalization.

The motto “think globally, act locally” is perhaps a feasible slogan for HGU with its strong regional roots. In this age of globalization, a global mode of thinking is absolutely necessary, even for those living in small towns far from provincial or national capitals. One of my greatest aspirations is for HGU to produce students with a global outlook, ready to meet global standards. While we are proud of our graduates who are acting locally, we must make more efforts to train every student in global thinking so that they can engage in global activities in the future.