Takushoku University (拓殖 大学;Takushoku Daigaku, abbreviated as 拓大Takudai) is aprivate university inTokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1900 by Prince (title for a Duke at that time)Taro Katsura (1848–1913).[1] It has two campuses: the main campus in theBunkyō Ward and a satellite campus inHachiōji. Takushoku University has five faculties: Commerce, Political Science and Economics, Foreign Languages, International Studies, and Engineering.[1]
Takushoku University is a leading university of security studies in Japan.[2][3] The last chancellor was a former Minister of Defense,Satoshi Morimoto. Some chancellors such asTaro Katsura andYasuhiro Nakasone were appointed to the prime minister.
Originally, Takushoku University was named the Taiwan Association School,[4] and was founded to produce graduates to contribute to thedevelopment of Taiwan. In 1907, it was renamed the Oriental Association Vocational School.[4] In 1918, it adopted its present name of Takushoku University.[4] Literally, "Takushoku" means "development and industrialization" as well as "colonization", because Japan hadoverseas colonies like Taiwan,South Sakhalin, andKorea and was entrusted with South Pacific Islands to industrialize at that time.
Takashoku University as a unique colonial institute made itself one of the best private universities in Japan after Imperial Universities such asTokyo University till the end ofWorld War II. It kept to be a peace-loving patriot, during the war by appointing GeneralKazushige Ugaki as its Chancellor, who was the enemy ofImperial Way Faction (military expansionist), and then Mr.Hiroshi Shimomura, who was the president ofCabinet Intelligence Bureau leading theHirohito surrender broadcast. An affiliated judo masterTatsukuma Ushijima and his discipleMasahiko Kimura of the university even planned to assassinate the prime and military ministerHideki Tojo in 1941. After the war, Japan gave up its whole colonies, the university changed its name to Kōryō University (紅陵大学;Kōryō Daigaku) and was led by Torajiro Takagaki, the president of Japan association of monetary economics. Then it reverted to its traditional name in 1952. Many graduates went to Brazil, some to Indonesia and other South Asian countries in the 1960s and 70s.In the 1970s and 80s it enhanced its campus towards Hachioji and established two more faculties. In 2001 it celebrated its 100-year anniversary in presence of EmperorAkihito. It opened another faculty for world development and international security in Hachioji. It finds realizing SDGs (sustainable development goals) as its mission in the 21st century.
Takushoku University was responsible for training many of Japanese local and colonial administrators as well as overseas merchants. Several of these people who werekarateka (practitioners ofkarate) took up administrative positions in theJapan Karate Association when it was founded in 1949.[8] The university's karate club was founded around 1924[9] and has produced many prominent karate instructors and competitors. The university also has ajudo program, which produced a second-place result in a 1967 Japanese collegiate competition.[10]The athletics club was founded in 1921.[11] It has participated in theHakone Ekiden 42 times as of 2021.[12]
