Keio University

History

Keio University (慶應義塾大学, Keiō Gijuku Daigaku) was first established in 1858 as a School of Western studies located in one of the mansion houses at Tsukiji by founder Fukuzawa Yukichi. "Shinshu Kan" was the original name of Keio University. Keio University's root is considered to be the Han school for Kokugaku studies, named Shinshu Kan established in 1796. It later changed its name to "Keio Gijuku" in 1868, which originated from the era name "Keio", with "Gijuku" as the translation of Private school. It moved to its current location in 1871, established a Medical school in 1873, along with the university department of Economics, Law and Literacy studies in 1890.

In 1899, Keio sent six students to study abroad. In the same year, it also accepted three international students from India, Qing-dynasty China, and Siam. Eight international students entered from Taiwan (which had technically been a territory of the Japanese Empire since 1895) the following year. In 1946, Keio University began accepting female students.

In 1916, Keio was visited by Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. Another visit in 1922 included physicist Albert Einstein, who presented a special lecture on the theory of relativity. In 2008, Keio University was visited by Prince Charles. In 2023, Sam Altman provided a lecture on campus.

Information technology Centers

ITC Headquarters

Mita ITC

Hiyoshi ITC

Shinanomachi ITC

Science & Technology ITC

Research performance

According to Thomson Reuters, Keio is the 10th best research university in Japan, the only private university within the Top 15. Keio has provided 3 presidents of Japanese Economic Association in its 42-year history, and this number is 5th largest.

Business

Keio University ranks second in Japan, for the number of alumni holding CEO positions in Fortune Global 500 companies, according to Mines ParisTech: Professional Ranking of World Universities.

Keio Business School (KBS) is Japan's first business school and one of four Japanese institutions holding The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) accreditation. Eduniversal also ranked Keio as the No.1 in Japan (75th in the world). In Eduniversal Keio is one of 3 Japanese schools categorized in "Universal Business schools with major international influence". In 2012, the Keio Business School became a founding member of the university alliance Council on Business & Society.

Medicine

There have been four presidents of Japan Medical Association related to this university (two alumni and two professors). This number is the 2nd largest among Japanese medical schools. Keio is one of 2 Japanese universities which provided a president for the World Medical Association.

Scandals

In October 2016, six male students from Keio Advertisement Society, a long-standing student club known for its organisation of the Miss Keio pageant contest, were investigated for gang rape during a club activity. An out-of-court settlement was reached and the students were not prosecuted. In May 2018, another three students were arrested for sexual assaults.

In March 2017, a student tennis club was disbanded after a student died of alcohol poisoning during a club activity. Two other Keio students died due to over-drinking in 2012 and 2013.

In June 2017, the school's election committee unconventionally selected Haseyama Akira, a legal history professor who won second place at the general election among teachers and staff, to be the school's new president, breaking a 50-year convention.

In late 2019, both the American football team and the cheerleading club suspended club activities for "inappropriate behaviours".

In January 2020, it was reported that a former member of the school president's secretarial staff had installed a camera in a female toilet stall on the Mita campus, filming over a thousand videos over 3 months.