| Hitotsubashi University | |
| Native Name: | Japanese: 一橋大学 |
| Motto: | Captains of Industry |
| Established: | 1920 (Origins 1875) |
| Type: | Public (National) |
| City: | Kunitachi |
| State: | Tokyo |
| Country: | Japan |
| Faculty: | 303 full-time [1] |
| Undergrad: | 4,364 |
| Postgrad: | 1,923 |
| Campus: | Urban |
| Colors: | Crimson Red (DIC-2489) |
| Mascot: | None |
| Website: | www.hit-u.ac.jp |
, formerly known as is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda.
In 1920, Hitotsubashi was granted university status as Tokyo University of Commerce, becoming Japan’s first national college specialising in commercial studies. It underwent another name change in 1949, adopting its modern name, Hitotsubashi. In 1962, the legal name was formally changed to Hitotsubashi University.[2]
The university has produced over 40 senior bureaucrats for the Japanese government, including Masayoshi Ōhira, who served as the prime minister of Japan.
Founded by Arinori Mori in 1875, Hitotsubashi was initially called the . Eiichi Shibusawa was sent to Europe in the 1860s with a scholarship from the Tokugawa shogunate, which was then led by the 15th shogun, Yoshinobu Tokugawa. During his time in Europe, Shibusawa studied European banking and economic systems, which he later brought back to Japan. The school's growth was supported by Shibusawa, Takashi Masuda, and other prominent business figures. The renaming of the school to Hitotsubashi University in 1949 may be linked to its historical ties with the Hitotsubashi branch of the Tokugawa family, headed by Yoshinobu.[3] [4] There were plans to merge the institute into the University of Tokyo as part of the economics department in the 1900s, but alumni and students objected—the merger was not fulfilled. This is known as the "Shinyu Incident".[5]
Hitotsubashi University has about 4,500 undergraduate and 2,100 postgraduate students with some 630 faculty members.
Parentheses show the numbers of admitted students per year.[6]
As of 2007, Hitotsubashi University had academic exchange agreements with 84 overseas universities and research institutions, including those between departments and departments, as follows:[12]
| Tsu N: | 7 |
| We N: | 1 |
| Nikkeibp G: | 5 |
| Gbudu N: | SA |
| Qs A: | 143 |
| Line 2: | 0 |
| Qs W: | =539 |
| Ensmp W: | 25 |
| Soc 1: | 0 |
| Law 1: | 0 |
| Asahi L: | 7 |
| Be N: | 8 |
| Be Pr: | 2 |
| Econ 1: | 0 |
| Re N: | 5 |
| Bus 1: | 0 |
| Ed N: | 3 |
| Ed W: | 100 |
| Cpa N: | 6 |
Hitotsubashi University is considered one of the most prestigious universities in Japan, consistently ranking amongst the top universities in Japanese university rankings. It is one of the highest ranked national universities that is not one of the National Seven Universities.
The THE World University Rankings ranked the university in the 1201st-1500th tier worldwide in 2024.[13] The university is ranked 539th worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2025, with particularly high evaluations in economics and business management.[14]
The economics department especially has a high research standard. According to the Asahi Shimbun, Hitotsubashi was ranked 4th in Japan in economic research during 2005–2009.[15] More recently, Repec in January 2011 ranked Hitotsubashi's Economic Department as Japan's 5th best economic research university.[16] Currently three researchers in Hitotsubashi are listed as top 10% economists in its world economist rankings.[17] Hitotsubashi has provided seven presidents of the Japanese Economic Association in its 42-year history; this number is the second largest.[18]
In 2019, Hitotsubashi Law School became 2nd out of all the 72 law schools in Japan according to the ratio, 59.82%, of the successful graduates who passed the bar examination.[19] [20]
Hitotsubashi Business School is ranked 2nd in Japan by Nikkei Shimbun.[21] Eduniversal ranked Japanese business schools and Hitotsubashi was ranked 3rd in Japan (100th in the world).[22] In this ranking, Hitotsubashi is one of three Japanese business schools categorized in "Universal business schools with major international influence". It is one of the few Japanese business schools teaching in English.
ranks Hitotsubashi University as 25th in the world in 2011 in the number of alumni listed among CEOs in the 500 largest worldwide companies, although Hitotsubashi is small compared to other Japanese universities in the ranks.[23]
Hitotsubashi is one of the most selective universities in Japan. Its entrance difficulty is usually considered one of the most difficult, alongside University of Tokyo, Kyoto University and Tokyo Institute of Technology among 180 national and public universities.[24] [25] [26] [27]
ex-president of Hitotsubashi University
former governor of the Bank of Japan and ex-professor of Hitotsubashi University Graduate School of Economics[28]
ex-adjunct instructor, Mitsubishi professor of Japanese Legal Studies of Harvard Law School[29]
professor emeritus, a member of Japan Academy, director of Seven & I Holdings Co., director of Mitsui & Co.
professor emeritus, Person of Cultural Merit
professor, foreign honorary member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
professor of Graduate School of Law
ex-professor, Faculty of Social Sciences
professor emeritus
visiting professor in 1931
The university's alumni association is called Josuikai (如水会) and its main building (Josui Kaikan) is next to the building where Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS) is in Kanda, Tokyo.
ex-minister of Japanese Government Railways, ex-minister of communications of Japan, president of Osaka Shosen Kaisha (now Mitsui O.S.K. Lines)
ex-Speaker of the House of Representatives (Japan), ex-deputy prime minister of Japan
ex-chairman of the Supreme People's Assembly, ex-minister of education (North Korea)
current deputy prime minister of Mongolia
current deputy prime minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan
ex-vice prime minister of Japan, ex-minister of finance (Japan), ex-foreign minister of Japan
ex-Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Japan), ex-minister of finance (Japan)
ex-minister for foreign affairs (Japan)
ex-Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Japan)
ex-minister of finance (Japan)
ex-chairman of Japan Socialist Party
author, ex-governor of Tokyo, ex-minister of transportation
former governor of Hiroshima Prefecture
author and former governor of Nagano Prefecture
current minister of justice (Japan)
ex-senior vice minister of the Ministry of Finance (Japan)
ex-chairman of Committee on Economy, Trade and Industry
ex-state secretary for foreign affairs of Japan, ex-senior vice minister of the Ministry of Justice (Japan)
ex-mayor of Osaka City
current governor of Shiga Prefecture, ex-senior vice-minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism
current mayor of Nagoya City
ex-Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan
ex-Parliamentary Secretary for Land, Infrastructure and Transport of Japan
ex-Parliamentary Vice‐Minister of Defense of Japan
ex-senior vice-minister of the Cabinet Office (Japan)
ex-chief of the Economic Planning Agency
current secretary-general of the Progress Singapore Party
Japan's ex-ambassador to the United States
Japan's ex- ambassador to the United States
Japan's ex- ambassador to the United States
Imperial Japan's ambassador to Germany
ex-president of House of Councillors of Japan, ex-foreign minister of Japan
Japan's first ambassador to the United Nations
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction in the UNDRR
ex-director-general of the Cabinet Legislation Bureau, Japan's ex- ambassador to France
ex-CEO of The Japan Forum on International Relations
Current Japanese ambassador to the People Republic of China
Japan's ex-ambassador to the United Nations, ex-chairman of UNICEF
Diplomatic advisor and analyst
the president of the 61st International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference
The 2nd secretary-general of ASEAN, Indonesia's first ambassador to the United Nations
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) assistant administrator, director for the UNDP Crisis Bureau, and United Nations Assistant Secretary-General.
current governor of Hokkaidō Prefecture
lawyer, husband of former Japanese princess Mako Komuro
lawyer
the 20th chief justice of Japan
entrepreneur, politician and cabinet minister in the pre-war Empire of Japan, founder of Kuhara Zaibatsu
ex-governor of the Bank of Japan, ex-CEO of Nissho Iwai Corp.
ex-chairman of Tokio Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd., ex-president of Mitsubishi Bank, Ltd.
first president of Toyota Motor
former chairman of Toray Industries, Inc., former vice-chairman of Nihon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)
ex-chairman of Toyota Motor and chairman of Nihon Keidanren (Japan Business Federation)
first president of Nomura Securities Co., Ltd.
ex-chairman of Ajinomoto Co., Inc.
founder of Mori Building (Forbes ranked him as the richest man in the world in 1991 and 1992.)
CEO of Bridgestone Co., Inc.
founder and CEO of Rakuten Group, Inc.
current president of Nintendo, former CEO and chairman of Nintendo of America
ex-CEO of Nisshin Seifun Group, father of the Empress Michiko
current CEO of Japan Post Holdings, former CEO of Japan Post Bank, former chairman of Citibank Japan
ex-chairman of Mutual Trading Co., Inc.
economist, professor emeritus at Tokyo College of Commerce
economist
economist, president of the Tokyo College of Commerce, the first chairman of The Tax Commission of Japan
economist, former Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy of Japan, professor at Keio University
economist, professor of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, ex-minister of state for special missions of Japan
economist, professor emeritus at Nagoya University and a member of the Japan Academy
economist, professor at Waseda University, Winner of 2020 Schumpeter Prize[30]
economist, C.V. Starr professor of Economics at New York University
economist, professor at York University
economist, professor of School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University, ex-deputy vice minister of finance for international affairs
economist, Person of Cultural Merit, professor emeritus at School of Political Science and Economics, Waseda University, professor emeritus at Hitotsubashi University
economist, professor at Osaka University
economist, professor at Hitotsubashi University and Hosei University, Director of Nippon Genki Juku
economist, professor of School of Social Sciences, Waseda University
economist, Associate professor of Graduate School of Economics, Kyoto University
economist, Associate Vice President at Hitotsubashi University
economist, professor of Yonsei University
Legal Scholar, professor emeritus at Shiga University
professor of College of Law, National Taiwan University
Historian, professor at Surugadai University
Linguist, Old Testament scholar, Dean of Faculty and professor at Japan Bible Seminary
Mathematician, professor at the National Institute of Informatics
Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
Nigerian pharmacist
filmmaker (Als die Sonne vom Himmel fiel) of Japanese–Swiss origin.[31]
filmmaker
composer
actor
playwright
explorer, Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society
athlete, Silver Medalist of men's tennis doubles in 1920 Summer Olympics
athlete, Gold Medalist of backstroke in 1936 Summer Olympics, ex-vice chairman of International Olympic Committee, ex-CEO of Kanematsu Corp.
rice farmer who introduced rice farming to an area of Texas; he came from a college that became Hitotsubashi University[32]
athlete, tennis player
rower
rower
the only Japanese passenger on the RMS Titanics disastrous maiden voyage
physical education specialist
"Baron Kishi", oil developer in the U.S.
"The Potato King", the first President of the Japanese Association of America
author, translator
author
author
poet
poet
Manga artist
Manga artist
musician
musician, member of Ikimono-gakari
journalist
medical doctor and journalist
former Head coach of the Tokyo Excellence
practitioner of Japanese martial arts
educator
Imperial Japan's governor-general of Kwantung