Japan has high standards for safety, accessibility, and overall quality of life. That’s why the country is a popular destination to study abroad for students from around the world. If you desire to study in Japan, you can benefit from a well-rounded educational system, get a taste of a different culture, and broaden your horizons.
Graduates who study business in Japan may decide to work for non-profit organizations and contribute to a cause close to their hearts. Arbitrator, financial trader, marketing executive, supply chain manager, management analyst, and international accountant are just a few of the many popular job titles available today. But before becoming one the of professions mentioned, you first need to obtain a business degree. Let’s take a look the some of the best business schools in Japan you can enroll in.
Top Business Schools in Japan
1. Keio University – Keio Business School
The Business School at Keio University was established in 1962 and is Japan’s oldest business school. Since its inception, this top business school in Japan has been referred to as “KBS” and now includes Keio University Graduate School of Business Administration, which awards MBA and Ph.D. degrees. The Keio Business School also offers short-term executive programs that are open to anyone.
As part of the KBS curriculum, students will learn a wide range of management skills as well as detailed specialized knowledge. They will also learn about a methodology for integrating and improving these skills and knowledge. On the other hand, the school contributes to the advancement of human society by producing outstanding and innovative leaders who combine individual self-reliance with respect for other people’s dignity, a clear understanding of their mission, and a strong desire to take action.
As a result of its founding in 1962, KBS has built a foundation of practical education based on the case method and the philosophy of “practical learning” adopted by Keio University in its founding principles. They built on this foundation and created modern business leaders who can conceptualize and implement new ideas in an ever-changing market.
2. Waseda University – Waseda Business School
Waseda Business School is another excellent business school in Japan, which creates an active learning community to foster the development of globally aware and responsible leaders with practical management skills.
The mission of Waseda University is to promote cross-cultural learning and exchanges of language, culture, and values to develop a world community. To fulfill this mission, the university must utilize its comprehensive and creative resources to build a curriculum that offers these kinds of learning opportunities and educational and student environments across campus. Moreover, to meet the needs of students from all over the world, Waseda Business School offers several programs.
Through the school’s program, they hope to create useful knowledge, cultivate global-minded leaders, and foster an environment of learning and sharing. At the WBS, professors include senior executives with decades of experience, top-tier consultants, and management experts on the cutting edge of research. With the diversity of the school’s faculty, they are able to produce knowledge that is both useful and not just a collection of management lore to the next generation. As a result, they achieved international accreditation and global rankings in Far East Asia.
3. Kyoto University – Graduate School of Management
Kyoto University is committed to research at the source of disciplinary knowledge, to cutting-edge original research, to strengthening its position as a global research hub, and to cultivating individuals capable of assuming leadership roles and making significant contributions to a wide range of societal fields, all while upholding “academic freedom” underpinned by high ethical standards.
Approximately 5,500 university faculty and staff members work together with 23,000 undergraduate and graduate students at Kyoto University. The University has a long history of providing hands-on training that actively involves students in original research, fostering a unique style of “self-reliant learning.” It is important for students to identify and address problems on their own so that they can develop a diverse set of skills and a creative mindset based on solid scientific knowledge.
Moreover, this top business school in Japan aims to improve the quality of education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels by strengthening the structure and comprehensiveness of academic curricula and increasing student mobility from undergraduate to graduate school or between Kyoto University and other educational institutions. The Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences (ILAS) requires all university students, regardless of future specialization, to take liberal and general education courses, an approach that promotes students’ development as healthy and intelligent citizens.
As a result, students can participate in both short and long-term programs at universities outside of Japan to broaden their horizons and broaden their worldviews.
4. Kobe University – School of Business Administration
Kobe University was the first Japanese university to have a School of Business Administration. As Japan’s first school to offer business administration degrees, the school has a stellar reputation in the business and academic worlds.
There are three areas of study in the university’s undergraduate curriculum: business, accounting, and commerce. By providing them with practical knowledge built on a solid foundation in the social sciences, educational institutions hope to cultivate the next generation of business and professional society leaders.
Furthermore, in keeping with its open and cosmopolitan culture and surroundings, Kobe University strives to positively impact the global community by creating knowledge based on universal values and cultivating a deep understanding and strong leadership abilities.
5. Nagoya University of Commerce and Business
With all three major international accreditations for management schools, Nagoya University’s MBA program is the only one in Japan and consistently ranked first in Japan by Q.S. and F.T., the world’s most prestigious ranking for MBAs. All of the university’s courses use the case method, with expert facilitators leading discussions in the classroom. Eighty percent of the professors are researchers who have also worked as practitioners and who, in the school, use what they’ve learned from both experiences to deliver a program that helps students prepare for their future careers.
The Nagoya University of Commerce and Business MBA and MSc programs emphasize practical education, using the case method to deliver higher-quality education and research certified by international accreditation organizations. In order to maintain their accreditation, accredited business schools must raise graduate education standards across the globe and adapt to changing educational missions.
The Nagoya University Business School is an excellent business school in Japan. It thus expands management education opportunities for today’s professionals further. Furthermore, the school offers master’s degree programs, focused programs, corporate training, and owner-operated company succession education.
6. Doshisha University – Doshisha Business School
Doshisha University is among the top private universities in Japan. It was founded in 1875 based on its founder’s philosophy of “education guided by conscience.” The Business School was later established in 2004, with the strong belief that companies and business personalities must also focus on contributing positively to the community on top of achieving financial success.
Doshisha Business School would go on to inaugurate the Global MBA, which after 5 years of consistent success was leveled up in 2014 as an independent Global MBA program. The Global MBA (Global Business and Management Studies) guarantees quality education with an experienced faculty and diverse course offerings.
As one of the top business schools in Japan, Doshisha Business School focuses on encouraging its students to explore and enquire beyond the boundaries of the curriculum and adopt a global mindset that would allow them to become more insightful and analytical.
In addition, The Global MBA program also allows its students to work alongside their professors and business leaders to gain hands-on experience in exploring and challenging global business and management traditions or trends.
7. Kwansei Gakuin University – Institute of Business and Accounting
Kwansei Gakuin University was founded by Reverend Walter Russell Lambuth, in 1889, in Kobe. Lambuth was an American missionary who aimed to train missionaries and educate youngsters on principles that were based on Christianity.
Kwansei Gakui aspires to encourage its students to live a purposeful life by becoming creative and useful citizens who embody their motto, which is “Mastery for Service,” to contribute positively to society with integrity and compassion.
Kwansei Gakuin has now served for over 125 years, offering kindergarten-level education, as well as bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. As a leading private university, it offers up to 80 different disciplines, to over 25,000 students, across 14 graduate schools and 11 undergraduate schools.
Kwansei Gakuin’s Business programs offer an integrated and comprehensive set of degrees that roots off the university’s conviction that corporations hold crucial positions in the economic system. Hence, this top-performing business school nurtures personalities by teaching its students to analyze and discover principles and strategies of corporate behavior.
8. Hitotsubashi University
Hitotsubashi University is a prestigious business school in Japan that is the first of its kind. The school was founded in 1875, to nurture “Captains of Industry” which was considered essential to support the rapid development and modernization of the country. It has now expanded its scope and offers programs that cover all social sciences.
Today Hitotsubashi is among the leading research institutes in Japan, and the only one that specializes in social sciences. The university is also considered to be a Designated National University, which is very scarce in numbers.
Hence, Hitotsubashi offers a curriculum that is of a high standard in terms of education and research. It has therefore produced several highly successful graduates who are now active in Japan and around the world.
The university offers programs of all levels from bachelor to doctoral level programs. The programs are structured to produce individuals who specialize in creative thinking, are intellectually sensible, and passionate, possess leadership qualities, and are cultured, open-minded, and skilled.
9. International University of Japan – Graduate School of International Management
In 1982 the International University of Japan was founded for training experienced individuals who would be able to contribute to the international community in a disciplined and competent manner.
This top Japanese business school stands out in comparison to other schools of its kind because primarily, it is focused on academics. IUJ aims to encourage its students to adopt a spirit of progressive internationalism, hence its administrative policy is autonomous and open.
The Graduate School of International Management was later established in 1988 to produce “wise” individuals who could assist in global business and serve emerging countries such as Asia and Africa, as socially responsible leaders.
Being Japan’s first US-style business school, the MBA program offered at IUJ played a crucial role in bridging management thinking between the business communities in Japan and abroad. Lastly, the MBA program’s curriculum also emphasizes “Leveraging Emerging Markets for Global Advantage.”
10. Rikkyo University – Graduate School of Business
Rikkyo University was founded by Bishop Channing Moore Williams in 1874. Its founder was an Episcopal missionary, who began as a private school to teach English and Bible studies. The university was developed based on the model of traditional liberal arts institutes in the West.
Rikkyo strongly believes in society’s need for human resources who possess the ability to tackle social demands and global issues in an open-minded manner. Hence, Rikkyo aims to culture skilled global leaders who can withstand the rapidly changing environment and still make rational decisions.
Today, Rikkyo offers a liberal arts curriculum of high caliber that nurtures leadership and internationality. Rikkyo also specializes in offering undergraduate programs that have narrowed functions according to the interests of the individual, this is to facilitate those who have trouble selecting a major or career path.
Rikkyo’s Graduate School, on the other hand, was newly established, however, it has been engaged in research for over 100 years, based on which it has constructed its curriculum of “new” business administration that is based on history and tradition. This excellent business school in Japan aims to instill teaching that would suit the new era paired with an enterprising and proactive spirit.
As a country that has developed in leaps and bounds over the years, Japan is indeed a business and technology hotspot. Education has also developed vastly in Japan, in fact, over the last 10 years, enrollment of international students has increased by 160% in Japanese universities.
In addition to providing affordable and high-quality education, international students are also offered brilliant employment opportunities in a secure environment with a great medical system. Hence, Japan would certainly make a great choice for anyone interested in pursuing a top-quality business education.
We hope that this article has helped you in your search for a business school. If you would like to read more about Japan, visit the Study in Japan for more insightful articles! Make sure to also check out the Available Business Programs for international students!
