Kyushu University



Kyushu University (九州大学), abbreviated to Kyudai (九大), is a public research university located in Fukuoka, Japan, on the island of Kyushu.

Founded in 1911 as the fourth Imperial University in Japan, it has been recognised as a leading institution of higher education and research in Kyushu, Japan, and beyond.

The history of the university began a few decades before its founding when the medical school of the Fukuoka Domain (福岡藩 Fukuoka han) was established in 1867, the final year of the Edo period. The school was reorganised as the Fukuoka Medical College of Kyoto Imperial University in 1903. It became independent as Kyushu Imperial University in 1911.

History
In 1867, the Fukuoka Domain established a medical school called Sanshikan in Tenjin, Fukuoka. Although closed in 1872, its affiliated hospital continued operating and evolved over time. By 1879, it became part of the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Medical School, later continuing as the Fukuoka Prefectural Fukuoka Hospital.

The push for an imperial university in Kyushu led to the establishment of Fukuoka Medical College in 1903 as a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. Financial challenges delayed further development until the Furukawa Zaibatsu's donation in 1906 facilitated the establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911, with Kenjiro Yamakawa, former president of the University of Tokyo, as its first president.

Kyushu University dates its medical faculty's founding to 1903 and the university's establishment to 1911. In 1947, it was renamed Kyushu University, and in 1949, it expanded by incorporating several local educational institutions.

On July 3, 2009, Kyushu University was chosen for the “Global 30 (G30) Project”.

Organisation
Kyushu University's incumbent president is Tatsuro Ishibashi, who was elected in 2020 and is expected to serve until September 2026.

The university has 16 faculties, 11 undergraduate schools, and 18 graduate schools.


 * Faculty of Humanities
 * Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies
 * Faculty of Human-Environment Studies
 * Faculty of Law
 * Faculty of Economics
 * Faculty of Languages and Cultures
 * Faculty of Sciences
 * Faculty of Mathematics
 * Faculty of Medical Sciences
 * Faculty of Dental Science
 * Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 * Faculty of Engineering
 * Faculty of Engineering Sciences
 * Faculty of Design
 * Faculty of Information Science and Electrical Engineering
 * Faculty of Agriculture

Kyushu University Hospital
Kyushu University Hospital, with historical roots in the 1867 Sanseikan established by the Kuroda Clan, evolved significantly over time. Initially a clinic for a medical institution, it became affiliated with the Fukuoka Prefectural Medical School in 1879. In 1903, it became associated with the newly formed Fukuoka Medical College, a branch of Kyoto Imperial University. The establishment of Kyushu Imperial University in 1911 brought the hospital under its Faculty of Medicine. Post-World War II reforms in 1947 led to its rebranding as the Kyushu University Faculty of Medical Sciences Affiliated Hospital, incorporating various departments, including dental science. The hospital underwent further transformations, merging in 2003 with hospitals from the Faculty of Dental Science and Medical Institute of Bioregulation to form the current Kyushu University Hospital.

The hospital's history also includes a dark chapter in 1945, involving fatal and torturous medical experiments including live dissection on American POWs by the university's medical faculty, resulting in war crimes convictions.

Scholarships for international students
Kyushu offers a number of selected scholarships for international students. Some of them are:
 * Topia Leisure Scholarship (scholarship with work experience)
 * JASSO - Encourage privately financed international students learning costs
 * Fukuoka International Student Scholarship
 * Ushio Foundation Scholarship
 * Ajinomoto Scholarship
 * Sun Noh Scholarship

General rankings
The university has been ranked 5th in the 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, which is one rank down from 2019. In another ranking, Japanese prep school Kawaijuku ranked Kyushu as the 7th best university in Japan.

It has been ranked 132nd in the 2020 QS World University Rankings, and 401-500th in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

According to QS, its subject rankings were 123rd in Engineering & IT, 170th in Life Sciences & Biomedicine, and 150th in Natural Sciences. It is also the 18th-best university in Asia, according to QS Asian University rankings.

Popularity and selectivity
Kyushu University is a prestigious institution, and its selectivity for undergraduate degrees is regarded as being among the top 15 in the country.

Chemistry, Physics and Engineering

 * Kyozi Kawasaki (川崎 恭治), physicist, 2001 Boltzmann Medal winner.
 * Genichi Taguchi (田口 玄一), engineer and statistician.
 * Heitaro Nakajima, (中島 平太郎), digital audio pioneer, president Aiwa

Physiology or Medicine

 * Inokichi Kubo (久保 猪之吉), pioneer of otorhinolaryngology.
 * Ōmori Harutoyo (大森 治豊), surgeon and first president of the Fukuoka Medical College.
 * Yutaka Ido (井戸 泰), surgeon, 1919 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
 * Naosuke Onodera (小野寺 直助), surgeon, 1937 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
 * Kazuo Yamafuji (山藤 一雄), scientist, 1964 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine nominee.
 * Hakaru Hashimoto (橋本 策), MD, PhD, medical scientist, discoverer of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
 * Masatoshi Nei (根井 正利), a Japanese-born American evolutionary biologist, 2013 Kyoto Prize winner.
 * Yoshizumi Ishino (石野 良純), molecular biologist, known for his discovering the DNA sequence of CRISPR.
 * Takehiko Sasazuki (笹月 健彦) MD, PhD emeritus professor, professor of Kyushu University Institute for Advanced Study (高等研究院)

Literature and History

 * Junzo Shono (庄野 潤三), a Japanese novelist, 1954 Akutagawa Prize winner.
 * Toshio Shimao (島尾 敏雄), a Japanese novelist, 1977 Yomiuri Prize winner.
 * Kyoichi Katayama (片山 恭一), a Japanese author.
 * Rizō Takeuchi (竹內 理三), historian
 * Wolfgang Michel-Zaitsu, historian, first foreigner granted a tenure at a Japanese national university in 1984.
 * Hsu Hsing-Ching (徐興慶), president of Chinese Culture University in Taiwan.
 * Yasuhisa Hara (原 泰久), a Japanese cartoonist.
 * Kyojin Onishi(大西巨人), a Japanese novelist, Malxist

Politics and Business

 * Shinya Izumi(泉　信也) Politician
 * Robert T. Huang, SYNNEX Corporation founder