Konan University (甲南大学, Kōnan Daigaku) is a university on the slopes of Mount Rokkō in Higashinada-ku, Kobe, Japan. It was founded by business tycoons of major companies for their children. A private university with approximately 10,000 students, it offers a wide variety of programs to Japanese students, as well as an international exchange program through the Konan International Exchange Center.
Of Konan University's graduates, 2,536 are active as presidents (as of 2019), which, given the size of the university, is one of the highest rates of becoming CEOs among universities in the country.
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History
Konan University was founded in 1951. The university traces its origin to 1919 when Konan Gakuen School was founded in Okamoto, Kobe, Japan. One of the founders is Hachisaburō Hirao, 45th Minister of Education in the days of Meiji Constitution, former senior managing director of Tokio Marine Insurance, and founder of Konan Hospital (See also List of Japanese politicians). The formation of the school is based on the ideals of character building (personality development), physical fitness, and respect for the individual. Konan University offers undergraduate and graduate programs (Master's and Ph.D.). All programs are accredited by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Campus
Konan University has three campuses in Hyogo prefecture, Japan: Okamoto Campus (the main campus), Nishinomiya Campus (Hirao School of Management), and the Port Island Campus (Science, Medicine & Engineering Research). Okamoto Campus is on the eastern edge of Kobe City in Okamoto, a renowned residential area between Osaka and Kobe.
Undergraduate education
Seven faculties and one school provide undergraduate education.
Faculty of Letters (similar to a Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences in North American universities)
Faculty of Science and Engineering
Faculty of Economics
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Business Administration
Faculty of Intelligence and Informatics
Faculty of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology
Hirao School of Management
Graduate education
Graduate education is provided by five schools.
Graduate School of Humanities (Japanese Literature and Language, Applied Sociology, Human Sciences)
Graduate School of Natural Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Information Science and Systems Engineering)
Graduate School of Social Science (Economics, Management)
Graduate School of Law
Graduate School of Accounting
Notable alumni
Shin Ashida（Founder and CEO, JCR Pharma）
Eikichi Ito（Chairman, Itochu Corporation, Later graduated from Cambridge University in UK）
Norio Ichikawa（CEO, Zojirushi Corporation）
Toshimasa Iue (Former CEO, Sanyo Electronics, Later graduated from Boston University MBA)
Kazuyasu Ueshima (Former CEO, UCC UESHIMA COFFEE CO., LTD., Later graduated from Buckingham University)
Tatsushi Ueshima (Former CEO, UCC UESHIMA COFFEE CO., LTD.)
Gota Ueshima (CEO, UCC Capital Co., Ltd.)
Eisuke Ueyama (Dainihon Jochugiku Company, Limited, aka "Kincho"）
Hiroaki Otani（CEO, YKK Corporation）
Yoshiro Obayashi（CEO, OBAYASHI CORPORATION）
Reiko Okutani（Founder and CEO, The R Co., Ltd.）
Michikatsu Ochi（Founder and Chairman, en Japan Inc.）
Genichi Kawakami（Former CEO of Yamaha Corporation, Founder of Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.）
Hajime Kawagoe（Former CEO, Royal Hotel)
Hidekuni Kuroda（CEO, KOKUYO CO., LTD., Later graduated from Lewis & Clark College）
Ryuhei Sadoshima（CEO, Safie, Inc.）
Academic rankings
Overall rankings
QS University Rankings: Asia 2013: not included
Webometrics Ranking of World Universities 2014: (World Rank) 2,574; (Country Rank) 134
Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, July 2012: (World Rank) 2,553
Top organizations: Rankings on SSRN (Social Science Research Network):
5th among Business Schools in Japan (①Kobe U., ②Keio U., ③Hitotsubashi U., ④Hosei U., ⑤Konan U.)
Konan University - Graduate School of Business and Accounting
International students
Konan offers a program for international students through the Konan International Exchange Center or KIEC. This program runs from September through May for students from North America and Europe, and from January to December for students from Australia and New Zealand. The program, which is usually made up of between 30 and 45 students, includes rigorous language study, Japanese studies classes on topics of Japanese culture, business, and society, and a homestay in which the student lives with a Japanese family. In previous years the homestay was a mandatory part of the program, however, due to increasing numbers of international students in the academic year 2008–2009, a dormitory option was made available for non-Illinois Consortium for International Studies and Programs students.
Konan offers exchange opportunities with the following universities:
Australia
Murdoch University
Edith Cowan University
Canada
Carleton University
University of Victoria
China
Northwest University
Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications
France
François Rabelais University, Tours
Jean Moulin University Lyon 3
Germany
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Cologne Business School, Köln
Korea
Notable faculty
Ueno, Susumu: representative director of the Asia-Pacific Management Accounting Association (APMAA); chief editor of Asia Pacific Management Accounting Journal (APMAJ); the 2014 Japanese Association of Management Accounting Special Award Recipient.