Yokohama City University (YCU) (横浜市立大学, Yokohama Shiritsu Daigaku) is a public university, in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. As of 2013, YCU has two faculties with a total of around 4,850 students, 111 of whom are foreign. YCU also has four campuses (Kanazawa-Hakkei, Fukuura, Maioka and Tsurumi) and two hospitals (YCU Hospital and YCU Medical Center). YCU is a member of the Port-City University League (PUL), and a core member of the Japanese University Network in the Bay Area (JUNBA). In 2017, YCU has been ranked #16th among "world's best small universities" in 2016-2017 (Times Higher Education), ranked at 23rd among life sciences institutes in Japan (Nature Index 2016).
Contents
History
From Yokohama School of Commerce to Yokohama City University
The predecessor of YCU, the Yokohama School of Commerce (橫濱商法學校, Yokohama Shōhō Gakkō), was founded in 1882, initially maintained by an association of local merchants. In 1888, the school was renamed Yokohama Commercial School (橫濱商業學校, Yokohama Shōgyō Gakkō), a five-year school for boys (ages 14–19 or above). In 1917, Yokohama Commercial School was municipalized and in 1921 it became a seven-year commercial school (for ages 12–19 or above). The Ministry of Education urged the school to shorten the curriculum by two years, as Japanese Commercial School Regulations (1921) did not specify a seven-year course for commercial schools. In 1924, it became a five-year school with a two-year specialized course. In 1928, the specialized course became the Yokohama City College of Commerce (橫濱市立橫濱商業專門學校, Yokohama Shiritsu Yokohama Shōgyō Gakkō). In 1949, it was renamed Yokohama City Economics College and reorganized into Yokohama City University under Japan's new educational system.
From Juzen Hospital to Yokohama City University
Another predecessor of YCU was founded in 1874 as Juzen Hospital (十全醫院, Jūzen Iin). This hospital was municipalized in 1891. In 1944, Yokohama Municipal Medical College (橫濱市立醫學專門學校, Yokohama Shiritsu Igaku Senmon Gakkō)) was established, and Juzen Hospital became a college hospital. In 1947, after World War II, the medical college became Yokohama Medical School (横浜医科大学, Yokohama Ika Daigaku), a municipal university. Its three-year preparatory course was established in 1947, and the four-year main course was established in 1949. In 1952, the medical school was merged with Yokohama City University.
From Yokohama City University College of Nursing
Yokohama City University College of Nursing (横浜市立大学看護短期大学部, Yokohama Shiritsu Daigaku Kango Tanki Daigakubu) was a public junior college in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama, Japan. It opened in 1898 as a vocational school, and was amalgamated with the Yokohama City University School of Medicine in 2005.
Recent history
In 1949, YCU had one faculty: the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration. In 1952, two faculties were added (School of Medicine and Faculty of Literature and Science). The subsequent history of YCU is as follows.
1984: Kihara Institute for Biological Research (KIBR) was transferred to YCU.
1995: Faculty of Literature and Science was reorganized into two faculties: Faculty of International Liberal Arts and Faculty of Science.
2005: Three faculties (Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, Faculty of Sciences, and Faculty of Humanities and International Studies) were integrated. International College of Arts and Sciences was established.
2005: Yokohama City University College of Nursing was transferred to YCU, and four-year Nursing Course was established.
2005: The Graduate School of Economics, the Graduate School of Business Administration, the Graduate School of Integrated Science, and the Graduate School of International Cultural Studies were integrated. International Graduate School of Arts and Sciences was established.
2006: Advanced Medical Research Center (AMRC) was established.
2007: YCU California Office was established as a core member of Japanese University Network in the Bay Area (JUNBA) in Santa Clara, California.
2009: International Graduate School of Arts and Sciences was reorganized and divided into the Graduate School of Urban Social and Cultural Studies, the Graduate School of Nanobioscience and the Graduate School of International Management.
2011: Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) began the international project for the Development of Wheat Breeding Materials for Sustainable Food Production through KIBR.
Campuses
Kanazawa-Hakkei Campus
The Kanazawa-Hakkei Campus in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama is one of the main campuses of YCU. Yochy, the mascot of YCU is a ginkgo leaf, from the trees found throughout the campus. One of the university's landmarks, the clock tower, is on this campus.
Fukuura Campus
The Fukuura Campus in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama is one of the main campuses of YCU. It includes the YCU School of Medicine, Hospital, and Advanced Medical Research Center. It is connected to Shidai-Igakubu Station on the Yokohama Seaside Line. The Hepburn Hall is on this campus.
Maioka Campus
The Maioka Campus in Totsuka-ku, Yokohama is home to Kihara Institute for Biological Research (KIBR).
Tsurumi Campus
The Tsurumi Campus in Tsurumi-ku, Yokohama was established in 2001 as a graduate school partnership between YCU and RIKEN. RIKEN Yokohama researchers visit YCU as guest professors and provide guidance for students as part of a cooperative graduate school agreement.
Faculties (undergraduate schools)
School of International Liberal Arts
Department of International Liberal Arts
School of Economics and Business Administration
Department of Economics and Business Administration
School of Science
Department of Science
School of Data Science
Department of Data Science
School of Medicine
Medical Course (six-year)
Nursing Course (four-year)
International College of Arts and Sciences
International College of Arts and Sciences will be reorganized and divided into School of International Liberal Arts, School of Economics and Business Administration, and School of Science in 2019.
Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies
Department of Human Science
Department of Social Relations
Department of Arts and Cultures
Division of Global Urban and Regional Studies
Department of Urban Planning and Community Development
Department of Urban and Regional Policy
Department of Global Cooperation and Area Studies
Division of Economics and Business Administration
Department of Business Administration
Department of Accounting
Department of Economics
Division of Sciences
Department of Materials Science
Department of Life and Environmental Science
Department of Medical Life Science
Graduate schools
Graduate School of Urban Social and Cultural Studies
Degree conferred: Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy
Graduate School of International Management
Degree conferred: Master of Management, Master of Economics, Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Economics
Graduate School of Nanobioscience
Degree conferred: Master of Science, Doctor of Science
Graduate School of Medical Life Science
Degree conferred: Master of Science, Doctor of Science
Graduate School of Medicine
Joint graduate school of medicine program
The YCU Graduate School of Medicine is engaged in "Joint Graduate School Programs" with various establishments include the following.
Kanagawa Cancer Center
Kanagawa Children's Medical Center
National Institute of Infectious Diseases
National Institute of Radiological Sciences
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency
RIKEN
Yokohama National University
Research centers and institutes
Research Promotion Center
Advanced Medical Research Center (AMRC)
Kihara Institute for Biological Research (KIBR)
University hospitals
Yokohama City University Hospital
The YCU Hospital in Kanazawa-ku, Yokohama has 654 beds, and in the 2012 fiscal year, treated 465,918 out-patients and 213,149 in-patients. The Hospital is a designated hospital as a Regional Cancer Care Hospital, AIDS Care Central Core Hospital and an approved as a Specific Function Hospital.
International cooperation
YCU has exchange agreements with the following universities.
University of California, San Diego
University of California, Los Angeles
University of Vienna
Incheon National University
Oxford Brookes University
Shanghai Normal University
Ca' Foscari University of Venice
University of Bucharest
Universiti Sains Malaysia
Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City
University of the Philippines
Some graduate schools have engaged in joint research with the following African universities.
University of Zambia
University of Pretoria
University of Johannesburg
Makerere University
University of Malawi
Notable people
Alumni
Masatoshi Ito - founder of Seven & I Holdings Co. and supporter of the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito Graduate School of Management
Yoichi Nishimaru - physician and the author of Afternoon in the Forensic Medicine Classroom (法医学教室の午後)
Yoshiharu Sekino - surgeon and explorer famous for traveling "the Great Journey", tracing the route of mankind which spread from its origin in Africa to the Americas in reverse, starting at the southern tip of South America.
Takehiko Ogawa - urologist and developmental biologist famous for in vitro spermatogenesis.
Hase Seishū - novelist known for writing yakuza crime fictions.
Ken Hirai - R&B and pop singer
Faculty
Duane B. Simmons - American physician, educator and lay Christian missionary
Neil Gordon Munro - Scottish physician and anthropologist
Taikichiro Mori - economist and founder of Mori Building Company
Hiroshi Nakamura - biochemist and historian of cartography
Masayuki Kikuchi - seismologist famous for real-time seismology
Makoto Asashima - biologist and the discoverer of Activin
Kenji Kosaka - psychiatrist and the discoverer of Dementia with Lewy bodies
Shigeo Ohno - biochemist famous for pioneer research on cell polarity
Naomichi Matsumoto - geneticist known for identifying several causative genes for human diseases
Honorary doctoral degree recipients
Honorary doctoral degree recipients include the following.
Harold W. Kroto (November 4, 1997)
Howard A. Bern (November 12, 1997)
Elizabeth Mann-Borgese (December 8, 1998)
Harold J.Simon (March 23, 1999)
Yataro Tajima (October 31, 2001)
Kenneth D. Butler (November 12, 2001)
Ma Ying-jeou (July 12, 2006)
Masatoshi Ito (October 12, 2007)