Kushiro Public University of Economics

The University was founded in 1987 by the union of local governments in the Kushiro area who were eager to enhance the district's profile by having a community-oriented University for its citizens and visitors.

The University has very well-qualified faculty specialising in economics and business, as well as a comprehensive liberal arts department. lt therefore not only attracts students from the local community but from many other areas in Japan, including Tohoku, Osaka, and Kyushu.

Besides its well-structured academic programme which offers two bachelor level degrees, Kushiro Public University provides a first-class learning environment, in contrast to many Japanese universities which are situated in large urban areas.

Kushiro is a medium-sized city in south-eastern Hokkaido. lt has a major fishing and cargo port with large expanses of unspoiled beaches. Kushiro is also known for its pulp and paper production, and its food industry.

Despite being an industrial city, Kushiro is surrounded on three sides by broad coastal plains and world-famous marshlands which are home to some 200 species of birds and animals, and it is also the only breeding ground in Hokkaido for the Japanese red-crested crane, the Tancho. The hinterland also supports a considerable agricultural industry for which Hokkaido is well known.

ln addition, because of its northern location, Kushiro shares many similarities with northern nations and areas like Canada, Siberia, Finland, lceland, and Scandinavia. lts ice-free port is the closest to Canada and the U.S.on the Asian seaboard.

Foreign students can expect a friendly, hospitable living and learning environment from both the City of Kushiro and from the students and faculty of Kushiro Public University of Economics.

We express the general philosophy on which Kushiro Public University was founded as the following three basic ideas, i.e.:

• To meet responsibly the educational and community needs at the University level for Kushiro City and its surrounding municipalities,
• To encourage the students of KPU to be international in their outlook,
• To develop a curriculum which will provide a balance between theory and practice for the students of KPU.

The overall campus area is 158,244 square meters. Consituent buildings have a total floor space of 18,752 sq.m.. The main building consists of four floors plus a basement.

The administrative offices are located on the ground floor with faculty offices on the 3rd and 4th floors.
lncluded among the lecture facilities for both students and faculty are:

• Three state of the art lecture rooms containing audio-visual equipment controlled from a central operating station.
• Two computer rooms containing 122 terminals, which students may use when classes are not scheduled. Students also receive free lnternet access.
• One well-equipped language laboratory which includes facilities for satellite broadcasting.
• A number of conference rooms, including one which is equipped with a four-channel translation system.

The main gymnasium is 1,815 sq.m, and contains facilities for tennis, basketball, volleyball, badminton, handball, and a variety of new indoor sports. ln addition, there is also a smaller gymnasium used for traditional Japanese martial arts such as karate, Judo, and kendo, and a weight training room.

Outdoor athletic facilities include a football and soccer field, a baseball field,and five tennis courts.
Dining and service facilities, which are all on the 2nd floor, include a small shop which sells magazines, stationery, and snacks, a large cafeteria, a smaller cafeteria for faculty and staff, and a coffee shop. There is also a bank machine(ATM).

All buildings in the university complex are connected by corridors and passages, making it comfortable to move around campus during bad weather.