formerly known as is a research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Hosei University and four other private universities in Tokyo are collectively known as MARCH.
The university is also a member of the , which refers to six universities in Tokyo known for their historic rivalry in baseball. The Tokyo Big6 Baseball League was established in 1925. The league is known for players who go on to have careers in Japan's professional baseball leagues.
Hosei University is a member of the Top Global University Project (Top Type), funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2014. This program supports universities aiming to enhance their global competitiveness and internationalization.
Overview
The university originated as a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (, i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (, i.e. Tokyo school of law). This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition. It merged in 1889 with a school of French studies, Tōkyō Futsugakkō (, i.e. Tokyo French school), that had been founded three years earlier. It adopted the name Hosei University (, Hōsei daigaku, i.e. university of law and politics) in 1903 and gained university status in 1920.
History
Hosei University traces its roots to 1880 (Meiji 13), when Tokyo Hogakusha was founded in Surugadai, Tokyo, by Tetsu Kanamaru, Osamu Ito, and Masakuni Sattva. The institution emerged during Japan's liberal civil rights movement and the establishment of a modern legal system, focusing on training legal professionals. Its guiding principle of "liberty and progress" was inspired by the influence of French law, introduced by Gustave Boissonade, a French legal scholar invited to Japan to draft key legal codes and train lawyers.
In 1881 (Meiji 14), after the government banned private law schools, Tokyo Hogakusha briefly closed, but the Koho Bureau split off and renamed itself the Tokyo Law School in 1883 (Meiji 16), with Boissonade serving as vice principal. In 1889 (Meiji 22), the school merged with the Tokyo French School, established in 1886 (Meiji 19) by the French Society, becoming the Franco-Japanese Law School. Its first principal, Rinsho Minosaku, translated the French Civil Code and introduced key legal terms such as "rights," "duties," and "civil rights."
In 1899 (Meiji 32), under principal Ume Kenjirō, the school implemented significant reforms, launching advanced courses for continuing education, language programs in English, German, and French, and systems for independent study, auditing, and preferential enrollment. These reforms laid the foundation for the institution's growth.
In 1903 (Meiji 36), the school was renamed Hosei University under the , offering preparatory courses for daytime students, university and specialized courses for evening students, and a graduate school of advanced studies. The university expanded further under Ume's leadership, embodying his philosophy of "open education."
In 1920 (Taisho 9), Hosei University gained official status as a private university under the . It initially included the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Economics, along with preparatory and professional studies. The university relocated to its current campus in Fujimi-cho, Tokyo, in 1921 (Taisho 10). By 1922 (Taisho 11), the Faculty of Letters was added, including departments such as Philosophy and Literature, and the university transitioned from night classes to full-time day programs with a dedicated faculty structure.
Today, it is a comprehensive institution with 15 faculties, 13 graduate schools, a School of Correspondence Education, and professional graduate schools.
Faculty of Law and Faculty of Economics The Faculty of Law traces its origins back to 1880, with the establishment of Tokyo Hogakusha, a school dedicated to training legal professionals during the transformative Meiji era. This period marked the modernization of Japan, including the adoption of Western legal systems, and the Faculty of Law played a key role in that movement. Influential in its early development was Dr. Gustave Emile Boissonade, a distinguished French legal scholar who served as a legal advisor to the Japanese government.
The Faculty of Economics, established in 1920. Also, Hosei University still offers an economics program in English, which is called IGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences). It also offers opportunities for international exchange.
Campus Hosei has three main campuses, which it calls Ichigaya, Koganei, and Tama. The Ichigaya campus is an urban campus halfway between Ichigaya and Iidabashi stations in central Tokyo; its 26-story Boissonade Tower, completed in 2000, can be seen from either station. The campus is located close to the Yasukuni Shrine. Natural sciences are studied at the Koganei campus to the west of Tokyo, and other subjects are split between Tama (located in Machida, which is near Hachiōji), and Ichigaya.
Facilities
Ichigaya
Undergraduate Faculty of Law (, Hōgakubu) Faculty of Letters (, Bungakubu) Faculty of Business Administration (, Keieigakubu) Faculty of Intercultural Communication (, Kokusai-bunka-gakubu) Faculty of Sustainability Studies (, Ningen-kankyō-gakubu) Faculty of Lifelong Learning and Career Studies (, Kyaria-dezain-gakubu) Faculty of Engineering and Design (, Dezain-kōgakubu) Faculty of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS, , Gurōbaru-kyōyō-gakubu) (from 2008) Sports Science Institute (SSI, , Supōtsu-saiensu-insutityūto)
Graduate schools Graduate School of Humanities (, Jinbun-kagaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Economics (, Keizaigaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Law (, Hōgaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Politics (, Seijigaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Sociology (, Shakaigaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Business Administration (, Keieigaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Policy Sciences (, Seisaku-kagaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Environmental Management (, Kankyō-manejimento-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Intercultural Communication (, Kokusai-bunka-kenkyūka) International Japan-Studies Institute (, Kokusai-nihongaku-insutityūto) Law School (, Hōka-daigakuin) Business School of Innovation Management (, Inobēshon-manejimento-kenkyūka)
Tama
Faculty of Economics (, Keizaigakubu) Faculty of Social Sciences (, Shakaigakubu) Faculty of Social Policy and Administration (, Gendai-fukushi-gakubu) Graduate School of Social Well-Being Studies (, Ningen-shakai-kenkyūka)
Koganei
Faculty of Engineering (, Kōgakubu) (being phased out) Faculty of Science and Engineering (, Rikōgakubu) (from 2008) Faculty of Bioscience and Applied Chemistry (, Seimeikagakubu) (from 2008) Faculty of Computer and Information Science (, Jōhōkagakubu) Graduate School of Engineering (, Kōgaku-kenkyūka) Graduate School of Computer and Information Science (, Jōhōkagaku-kenkyūka)
Research Institutes
Sports
Baseball (Hosei University Baseball Team):
American Football (Hosei Tomahawks):
Notable alumni
Academia
Sadayoshi Fukuda, philosopher and criticHyōronka jinmei-jiten () / Japanese critics and commentators: A biographical dictionary (Tokyo: Nichigai Associates, 1990; ).
Politics Yoshihide Suga, the 99th Prime Minister of Japan Kazunori Tanaka, Diet representative, Minister of Reconstruction (2019–2020) Kosuke Ito, Diet representative on Ito's website. Retrieved September 13, 2010. Hideo Jinpu, Diet representativeProfile on Jinpu's website. Retrieved September 13, 2010. Yukio Jitsukawa, Diet representativeProfile on Jitsukawa's website. Retrieved September 13, 2010. Emi Kaneko, Diet representativeProfile on Kaneko's website. Retrieved September 13, 2010. Taku Yamamoto, Diet representative Yoshio Yatsu, Diet representative Shinpei Matsushita, Member of the House of CouncillorsProfile on Matsushita's website. Retrieved September 13, 2010. Hiroko Uehara, former mayor of Kunitachi City
Athletes
Yukihiro Doi, racing cyclist Takuya Honda, football playerPage about Honda , Hosei University. Retrieved September 7, 2010. Kairi Hojo, professional wrestlerHojo's profile on Horipro agency's website. Retrieved June 3, 2016. Takayuki Mikami, karateka Kyohei Morita, rugby player Yuka Sato, figure skater Tadashi Wakabayashi, baseball player Nishida Hiroki, Volleyball Player Keihan Takahashi, Volleyball Player Ayase Ueda, soccer player
Arts and Entertainment
Mizuhito Akiyama, authorMizuhito Kanehara, "Watakushi to toshokan (?)," Haru dayori 44 April 2004. Retrieved September 6, 2010. Chiho Aoshima, artistProfile at Kaikai Kiki . Retrieved September 6, 2010. Mew Azama, model and actress, Hosei University. Retrieved September 6, 2010. Satoshi Dezaki, anime director Shu Fujisawa, authorInterview with Fujisawa, Mainichi Shimbun. Retrieved September 7, 2010. Tomoko Hoshino, actressProfile of Hoshino at "Atelier Duncan" agency. Retrieved September 9, 2010. Norihiro Inoue, actor Mitsuaki Iwagō, photographerPotted biography of Iwagō, Illume, Tepco. Accessed 2010-09-02. Hiroh Kikai, photographerProfile of Kikai, Fujifilm, 2007. Accessed 2010-09-02. Shin Kishida, actor* Hiroto Kōmoto, singer* Aki Maeda, actress Masao Maruyama, film producer Michiko Matsumoto, photographerPage about Matsumoto at Toki no Wasuremono. Accessed 2010-09-26. Katsuhito Nakazato, photographerNakazato's profile at Tokyo Zokei University. Accessed 2010-09-03. Kinoko Nasu, author Kouhei Kadono, authorKadono Kouhei's Interview(Japanese Page) at Anima Solaris. Accessed 2016-11-14. Midori Sawato, film narrator Haruka Takachiho, author Yōsuke Yamahata, photographer*Profile of Yamahata, JPS. Accessed 2010-09-02. Shuichi Yoshida, novelist Yasumi Matsuno, video game creator* Shōgo Yano, voice actor
Other Kenji Goto, journalist and writer Masahiro Hara, engineer Hu Han Min, Chinese Kuomintang politician Yoshiko Miya, journalist Yusuke Araki, FIFA football referee
* dropped out before graduation
Notable faculty Sadateru Arikawa, aikido teacher Faubion Bowers, American academic Shu Fujisawa, writerProfile at Hosei. Retrieved September 7, 2010. Sadayoshi Fukuda Kojin Karatani, philosopher and literary critic Shunji Karube, athlete Kiyozō Kazama, professor of comparative linguistics Ume Kenjirō, legal scholar Ōmi Komaki, scholar and translator Taro Kono, politician Samezō Kuruma, economist Ryokichi Minobe, economist, educator and politician Shūmei Ōkawa, Japanese nationalist and Pan-Asianist writer Mitsukuri Rinsho, statesman and legal scholar Ishimoda Shō, historian Fujisawa Shu, writer Morita Sōhei, novelist and translator Hiroshi Takahashi, architect Jūji Tanabe, literature scholar, teacher, and mountain climber Hyakken Uchida, author and academic Tetsuro Watsuji, historian and philosopher Masahiro Hara, engineer, inventor of QR code
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