Kaisei Academy

The Kaisei Academy (開成学園) is a preparatory private secondary school for boys located in the Arakawa ward of Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1871.

The Kaisei Academy is known for the number notable figures across diverse fields who have attended the school. Due to this it is considered one of the most prestigious secondary schools in the country. As of 2024, the school has had the most number of students admitted to the University of Tokyo, regarded as the best university in Japan.

Overview
Founded in 1871, the Kaisei Academy has produced a large number of notable alumni. Every year three hundred students are admitted to its junior high school, and one hundred students to its high school. The school's primary policy is 質実剛健 (Shitsu-jitsu-gou-ken), which means strong, simple, or spartan. The school policy is well represented in its school events such as an athletic meeting, marathon, swimming summer school, annual boat race with Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba.

History
The school, which has produced hundreds of notable alumni, was founded in 1871. At first, it was established as the Kyōryū Gakkō as a preparatory school. After World War II, this school was integrated into the University of Tokyo. Its motto is "The pen is mightier than the sword".

Notable alumni

 * Okada Keisuke, (1868 – 1952) Prime Minister from 1934 to 1936 / Temporary on the register / In the prepschool age
 * Ikeda Kikunae, (1864 – 1936) who identified the flavour umami / In the prepschool age
 * Kogorō Takahira, (1854 - 1926) Japan's Ambassador to the United States from 1900 to 1909.
 * Physicist Nagaoka Hantarō, (1865 – 1950) who developed the Saturnian model of the atom / In the prepschool age
 * Poet Masaoka Shiki, one of the "four great masters" of the haiku / In the prepschool age
 * Poet and author Shimazaki Tōson (1872-1943), leading figure in the Meiji Romantic movement / In the prepschool age
 * Admiral Akiyama Saneyuki (1868 – 1918), planner of the Japanese strategy at the Battle of Tsushima / In the prepschool age
 * Vice Admiral Yamaguchi Tamon (1892 – June 4, 1942), commander of the aircraft carrier Hiryū at the Battle of Midway
 * Mutō Toshirō (1934 – ), former Deputy Governor of the Bank of Japan.
 * Fumio Kishida (1957 – ) Prime Minister from 2021.
 * Chikahiko Koizumi (1884 - 1945), surgeon vice-general of Japanese
 * Takayuki Kobayashi (1974 -), Politician, member of the House of Representatives from 2012
 * Chikara Yoshihara (1999 -), quiz player, a quiz competition, "ABC the 17th" champion. "ABC the 18th", "ABC the 19th" and "ABC the 20th" paper champion
 * Keiichi Tadaki (1943 -), lawyer, Prosecutor-General from 2006 to 2008
 * Shinji Inoue (1969 -), politician, Acting Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party, former Minister in charge of International Exposition
 * Michio Yuzawa (1888 - 1963), politician, former governor of Miyagi prefecture from 1929-1931, former governor of Hiroshima prefecture from 1932 to 1935, former governor of Hyougo prefecture from 1935 to 1936, former Vice-Minister of Home Affairs from 1936 to 1937 and 1941 to 1942, former Minister of Home Affairs from 1942-1943, member of the House of Councilors from 1959 to 1963
 * Taro Tsujimura, (1890 - 1983), former president of the Association of Japanese Geographers, leading advocate of landschaftgeographie in Japan
 * Masaaki Koizumi (1964 -), certified public accountant, accounting auditor
 * Yoshiyuki Murata (1954 -), former President of Taisei Corporation
 * Shuji Yoshino (1970-), geography teacher at Kaisei, in charge of swimming club and tennis club
 * Toshio Kagami (1936 -), Representative Director of Oriental Land Co., Ltd.
 * Kiyotaka Sasaki (1961 -), the first Director of the General Policy Bureau of the Financial Services Agency
 * Teiji Seta (1916 - 1979), children’s literature writer, translator
 * Kuroda Seiki (1866 - 1924), painter, politician
 * Shin'ichirō Nakamura (1918 - 1997), novelist, literary critic, poet
 * Kōichirō Asakai (1906 - 1995), diplomat
 * Takushi Izawa (1994 -), quiz player, founder of QuizKnock
 * Minoru Kiuchi (1965 -), politician, former Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs, former Senior Vice-Minister of Environment
 * Ryokichi Inada (1874 - 1950), bacteriologist, emeritus professor at University of Tokyo
 * Yukio Ninagawa (1935-2016), theatre director, film director, act
 * Akiyama Saneyuki (1868~1918), naval officer in the Meiji and Taisho eras, former vice-admiral of Japanese Navy
 * Tamon Yamaguchi (1892 - 1942), naval officer in the Taisho and Showa eras, former Vice Admiral of Japanese Navy
 * Shozo Uchida (1885 - 1972), architect, former president of Tokyo Imperial University (current University of Tokyo) >