Kokushikan University

About Kokushikan University

Kokushikan traces its institutional history to 1917, when Tokujiro Shibata and other volunteers founded a private academy in Tokyo. It moved to Setagaya in 1919, opened a junior college in 1953, and established the present university in 1958 with a Faculty of Physical Education. Graduate education began in 1965. The former junior college closed in 2003, while the university expanded to seven faculties and ten graduate schools. As of May 1, 2026, the university reported 12,895 students: 12,586 undergraduates and 309 graduate students. NIC-Japan, Japan’s national higher-education qualifications information center, lists Kokushikan as both a university and graduate school awarding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral qualifications. The Ministry of Education’s Tokyo listing places it among private universities, and the institution is operated within a school corporation rather than as a national or municipal university. Kokushikan’s structure combines a broad private-university curriculum with recognizable concentrations in sport, emergency care, public service, and Asian studies. Following the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, it made basic disaster-prevention education compulsory for incoming students and developed partnerships intended to support community preparedness. Prospective students should view Kokushikan as a multi-campus institution: their daily environment, commute, facilities, and peer community will depend substantially on the faculty or graduate school they enter.

Admissions vary by level, faculty, residency, and applicant category. The university has published its general undergraduate requirements and dedicated guidelines for 2027 entry; applicants should use the route matching their circumstances rather than applying US-style concepts such as a single regular-decision process. For applicants who are foreign nationals residing outside Japan, the published April 2027 pre-arrival route is limited to the School of Asia 21. Candidates must meet all stated conditions, including completion or expected completion of 12 years of schooling or another accepted qualification, eligibility to obtain student residence status, and adequate Japanese. They must have taken the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students outside Japan and earned at least 200 combined points in Japanese reading and listening/listening-reading. The applicable sittings are June or November 2025 and June 2026. For that specific route, applications run from September 1 through September 5, 2026, Japan time. Selection combines the EJU Japanese score with document review. Application registration, payment, and document submission must all be completed during the window, with documents submitted electronically as instructed. Required materials include educational records, an EJU score document, passport evidence, an application form, and a Japanese-language study plan. The application fee is JPY 5,000. Other international, domestic, transfer, and graduate applicants must consult their separate current guidelines because requirements and schedules differ.

Undergraduate study is organized into seven faculties comprising 14 departments. The available areas are Political Science and Economics; Physical Education; Science and Engineering; Law; Letters; Asia 21; and Business. Within these are options such as political science and public administration, economics, martial arts, sport and medical science, modern business law, education, history and geography, Japanese literature and culture, and science and engineering. Applicants should examine the curriculum for the particular department rather than assuming that programs within the same faculty share identical subjects or professional outcomes. Graduate provision covers ten schools. Political science, economics, business administration, sport systems, emergency medical systems, law, and human sciences offer both master’s and doctoral study. Engineering offers master’s programs in mechanical, electrical, and civil and architectural engineering, plus a doctorate in applied systems engineering. Interdisciplinary intellectual property law is offered at master’s level, while Globalising Asia provides both a master’s program and doctoral study in Globalising Asia Studies. Academic location varies. Setagaya houses five undergraduate faculties and seven graduate schools. Machida hosts the School of Asia 21, part of Physical Education, and the Graduate School of Globalising Asia. Tama serves much of Physical Education and the Graduate School of Sport System. The official database record identifies Japanese as the language of instruction, and the current overseas international-student route expressly requires the ability to understand lectures in Japanese. Students seeking an English-medium degree should therefore verify language arrangements directly at program level before applying.

Key Highlights

• Private Tokyo university with institutional roots dating to 1917
• 12,895 students reported as of May 1, 2026
• Seven undergraduate faculties and ten graduate schools
• Recognized by NIC-Japan as awarding bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees

Student Life & Environment

Kokushikan reported 107 extracurricular clubs and circles as of May 1, 2026, giving students options beyond its particularly visible competitive-sport tradition. Campus experience differs by location. Setagaya is the main academic center; Machida occupies a greener hillside setting; and Tama provides extensive sport facilities. Students should confirm where their department’s classes and activities are based before choosing accommodation. Most students live in private apartments, according to the university. The Students Office provides housing information, and some students use dormitories operated by outside organizations. University accommodation for international students is limited rather than guaranteed. The university’s English housing page identifies a guest house associated with Setagaya for international exchange and degree students, plus Tsurukawa Dormitory at Machida for exchange and undergraduate students. The more detailed current Japanese guidance limits the Setagaya guest house to exchange students and privately financed master’s and doctoral students, so applicants should request confirmation of eligibility rather than relying on the broader English summary. International students form a visible but minority community: the university reported 746 in May 2026. Scholarship opportunities exist for qualifying holders of student status, including a university scholarship based on academic and personal merit, financial need, and selection. Availability should not be treated as assured funding.

Location & Surroundings

Kokushikan operates across several sites in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The principal Setagaya campus is at 4-28-1 Setagaya, Setagaya-ku. It is approximately nine minutes on foot from Umegaoka Station on the Odakyu Line or six minutes from Shoinjinja-mae Station on the Tokyu Setagaya Line. The university describes this campus as about 30 minutes from Shibuya and Shinjuku, combining access to central Tokyo with a quieter neighborhood setting. Machida Campus is in the hills of Machida and is reached from Tsurukawa Station by university or public bus. Tama Campus, used especially for physical education and sport systems, is served from Nagayama Station by school or public bus. These are not interchangeable locations: commuting patterns and access to central Tokyo vary materially among them. Additional study-support sites include Kokushikan Kaede no Mori in Machida and Tama Minamino, a base for disaster-prevention education and training. Applicants should identify the primary campus for their course and calculate housing and travel needs around that location, particularly if classes or extracurricular training take place at more than one site.

Costs & Career Outcomes

For academic year 2026, first-year tuition and related charges for international undergraduates range from JPY 1,305,500 in Business to JPY 1,768,000 in Sport and Medical Science. Examples include JPY 1,307,000 for Political Science and Economics or Law, JPY 1,364,000 for Asia 21, and JPY 1,662,000 for Science and Engineering. These totals include the JPY 200,000 entrance fee, tuition, facility charges, practicum charges, and other listed fees. Asia 21 students must also complete a Japan instruction course carrying an estimated additional charge of approximately JPY 40,000–80,000. These are 2026 figures, not confirmed 2027 charges. International students with student residence status may be considered for university or outside scholarships. The university’s international-student scholarship is selective and considers academic and personal excellence and financial need, so applicants should prepare a budget that does not assume an award. Private housing will also be the normal case for many students, and no comprehensive living-cost estimate was verified. Career support includes career-development programming, job-search preparation, and individual assistance. Official May 2026 data reports a 97.6% employment rate for 2025 graduates, but this is an aggregate institutional figure rather than a guarantee for any program or student. The same source reports 575 graduates entering public service in 2025, consistent with Kokushikan’s established emphasis on public-service, teaching, emergency-response, and related career preparation.