The University of Tsukuba, one of the oldest national universities (established
by Japanese Government) and one of the most comprehensive research universities
in Japan, is in the city of Tsukuba (known as Tsukuba Science City), Ibaraki
Prefecture in the Kantō region of Japan. The university has 28 college clusters
and schools with around 16,500 students (as of 2014). The main Tsukuba campus
covers an area of 258 hectares (636 acres), making it the second largest single
campus in Japan. The branch campus is in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, which offers graduate
programs for working adults in the capital and manages K-12 schools in Tokyo
that are attached to the university.
【Internationalization】
Their founding philosophy states the University of Tsukuba is “a university
which is open to all within and outside of Japan.” The university is also known
for its internationalization efforts. It has won Japanese government funding
projects for internationalization of Japanese universities, including the
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s “Global 30”
Project and the “Super Global University Project” (formally known as “Top Global
University Project”). In the Super Global University Project, University of
Tsukuba won Type A funding, which is for 13 elite Japanese universities to be
ranked in the top 100 in global university rankings by 2023. Their initiative
includes expanding the number of courses and degree programs taught in English
only, sharing faculty members with partner institutions such as National Taiwan
University, University of Bordeaux, and University of California, Irvine to
promote education and research collaboration, and establishing so-called “Course
Jukebox System” which enables their and partner institutions’ students to take
partner institutions’ courses as if they are at their original institution.
In 2004, the university established the Alliance for Research on North Africa
(ARENA) as an academic research center with the purpose of promoting
comprehensive research concerning the North African Region through integration
of humanities and sciences. Since then, ARENA has been expanding its research
fields, and the university established a branch office in Tunis, Tunisia in
2006. The University of Tsukuba is also accepting African students through the
ABE initiative, which was initiated by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and is
bringing 1,000 African graduate students to Japanese universities in five years
from 2014. The University of Tsukuba is planning and leading Japan-Africa
Academic Network (JAAN) initiative to bring together all the Japanese
universities’ resources for Africa and to deepen the academic relationship
between Japan and Africa.
In May 2008, the Tokyo International Conference on African Development became an
opportunity for the African Development Bank (AfDB) and universities in Japan to
promote partnership on higher education, science and technology. Donald
Kaberuka, the president of the AfDB, and the president of University of Tsukuba
signed a memorandum of understanding during the three-day event.In 2009, the
University of Tsukuba participated in the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education
Organization’s (SEAMEO) affiliated member, and it has been cooperating in the
development of education in the ASEAN region. The university is a member of AIMS
program, which is to promote regional student mobility among the ASEAN and
participated countries including Japan.
As of August 2015, the university has over 300 international inter-university
agreements and 13 overseas offices in 12 countries, located in Brazil, China,
Germany, France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Tunisia, Taiwan, United
States, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
【Its history】
The university was established in October 1973. A forerunner was Tokyo
University of Education which was founded in 1872. It was one of the oldest
universities in Japan, Tokyo Higher Normal School Tōkyō Shihan Gakkō). In
October 2002, the University of Tsukuba merged with the University of Library
and Information Science Toshokan jōhō daigaku). The School of Library and
Information Science and the Graduate School of Library and Information – Media
Studies were established. It has provided several Nobel Prize winners, such as
Leo Esaki, Hideki Shirakawa and Sin-Itiro Tomonaga. Dr. Satoshi Ōmura was an
auditor at Tokyo University of Education.
