The first entrance ceremony of the Institute of Oriental Languages
Ever since the Meiji restoration in 1868, Kumamoto Prefecture has actively pursued international relations. With this historical background, the Kumamoto International Association was founded in 1918, with the aim of educating capable young men who could play an active role overseas. The roots of KGU lie in this association.
Opening Ceremony of the Institute of Oriental Languages
In 1938, one year after the Second Sino-Japanese War broke out, the Kumamoto Prefectural School of Chinese Language was founded by the Kumamoto International Association. Four years later in 1942, the Institute of Oriental Languages was inaugurated. The construction of the school buildings at the foot of Mount Tatsuda began in the middle of the Pacific War and on May 30th 1943 the opening ceremony was held. This day is commemorated today as KGU's foundation day.
A classroom
Oe campus in 1952
After World War II ended, in November 1945, the Institute of Oriental Languages was renamed the Kumamoto Institute of Foreign Languages and later it became Kumamoto Junior College under Morio Takahashi, the first president of Kumamoto University of Commerce. In 1952 the campus was relocated to Oe and in 1954 Kumamoto University of Commerce was established as a four-year university.
A view from the Building No. 1 in 1966
Kumamoto University of Commerce increased in size with the establishment of the Institute of Social Welfare in 1966 and the Faculty of Economics, which was established in the following year. Since 1984, the education system and the educational environment have been further improved as the Department of Management was established within the Faculty of Commerce, the Department of International Economics in the Faculty of Economics and the Graduate School was established.
News conference regarding university renaming
Campus today
In 1994, the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Faculty of Social Welfare were established, and Kumamoto University of Commerce and Kumamoto Junior College were merged and renamed Kumamoto Gakuen University. In the following years, the graduate school was further developed and new departments were established. The first Graduate School of Accountancy in Kyushu was established in 2009. As one of the leading social science universities in western Japan, KGU continues to produce highly knowledgeable and creatively-minded graduates with the skills to meet the demands of 21st century society.
1942 | April | Institute of Oriental Languages founded |
1945 | November | Renamed Kumamoto Institute of Foreign Languages |
1949 | April | Evening school opened |
1950 | April | Kumamoto Junior College (KJC) established |
1952 | October | Campus relocated to Oe, Kumamoto City |
December | 10th anniversary celebration | |
1954 | April | Kumamoto University of Commerce (KUC) established |
1956 | April | KJC Keiai Kindergarten established |
1959 | April | KUC High School established Institute of Economics and Business establishedat KUC |
1961 | April | Department of Early Childhood and Nursery Education established at KJC Institute of Central and South American Affairs established at KUC |
June | 20th anniversary celebration |
1964 | April | Department of Economics established in Faculty of Commerce |
1966 | April | Department of Liberal Arts established at KJC |
May | Institute of Social Welfare established at KJC | |
1967 | April | Faculty of Economics established at KUC |
1972 | April | Institute of Central and South American Affairs renamed Institute of Foreign Affairs |
November | 30th anniversary celebration |
1982 | July | Sister-school affiliation with colleges and universities in the State of Montana (USA) |
October | 40th anniversary celebration | |
1984 | April | Department of Management established in Faculty of Commerce |
1985 | June | Sister-school affiliation with Daejeon University (Korea) |
1986 | April | Program of Graduate Studies established at KJC |
1987 | December | Sister-school affiliation with Shenzhen University (China) Exchange Agreement between KUC and Kumamoto University and The University of Montana and Montana State University (USA) signed |
1988 | April | Graduate School of Commerce established at KUC |
1990 | April | Department of International Economics established in Faculty of Economics |
September | Foreign Language Center opened |
1992 | April | Graduate School of Economics established at KUC Student Exchange Program with Liverpool John Moores University (UK) established |
May | 50th anniversary celebration | |
1993 | April | Graduate School of Management established at KUC |
1994 | April | KUC and KJC merged and renamed Kumamoto Gakuen University (KGU) |
April | Faculty of Foreign Languages and Faculty of Social Welfare established | |
1995 | April | Credit transfer system between KGU, Kumamoto University, and Prefectural University of Kumamoto established |
1998 | April | Graduate School of Social Welfare established |
1999 | April | Exchange Agreement with Unitec Institute of Technology (New Zealand) and University of the Incarnate Word,San Antonio (USA) signed |
July | Exchange Agreement with Beijing Language and Culture University (China) signed | |
August | Exchange Agreement with Beijing Foreign Studies University (China) and Renmin University of China signed | |
2000 | April | Department of Social Environment and Welfare established in Faculty of Social Welfare |
April | Exchange Agreement with Saint Mary's University (Canada) signed | |
November | Exchange Agreement with Vietnam National University, Hanoi (Vietnam) signed | |
2001 | April | Graduate School of Area-based Cultural Studies established |
November | Exchange Agreement with Chulalongkorn University (Thailand) and Carleton University (Canada) signed |
2002 | May | 60th anniversary celebration |
May | Exchange Agreement with University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire (USA) signed | |
October | Closing ceremony of Kumamoto Gakuen University Junior College | |
2003 | February | Exchange Agreement with La Trobe University (Australia) signed |
April | Doctoral Program of Social Welfare established in Graduate School of Social Welfare | |
2005 | April |
Doctoral Program of Commerce established in Graduate School of Commerce, Doctoral program of Economics established in Graduate School of Economics, Doctoral Program of International Culture Studies established in Graduate School of International Culture Studies, Master’s program of Social Environment and Welfare in Graduate School of Social Welfare established |
April | Department of Hospitality Management established in Faculty of Commerce | |
November | Exchange Agreement with Beijing International Studies University (China) signed | |
2006 | April | Department of Legal Economics established in Faculty of Economics, Department of Child and Family Welfare established in Faculty of Social Welfare |
2009 | April | Academic degree program of Professional Accountancy established in Graduate School of Accountancy, Master’s and Doctoral Programs of Management established in Graduate School of Commerce |
April | Department of Life Wellness established in Faculty of Social Welfare | |
2010 | January | Exchange Agreement with Kun Shan University in Taiwan signed |
2011 | April | Kumamoto Gakuen University Junior High School established |
April |
Exchange Agreement with Ara Institute of Canterbury (New Zealand) signed |
2012 | February | Exchange Agreement with Continuing Studies in Education in University of Victoria (Canada) signed (KGU Faculty of Foreign studies) Exchange Agreement with University of Central Lancashire (UK) signed |
April | KJC Keiai Kindergarten moved to a new building | |
May | 70th anniversary celebration | |
2013 | March | Exchange Agreement with Soon Chun Hyang University (Korea) signed (KGU Faculty of Social Welfare) |
2014 | March | Exchange Agreement with Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Germany) signed (KGU Faculty of Social Welfare) |
April | Exchange Agreement with Xiangsihu College of Guangxi University for Nationalities (China) signed | |
July | Exchange Agreement with Angkor University (Cambodia) signed (KGU Faculty of Economics) | |
October | Exchange Agreement with Yangon University of Economics (Myanmar) signed (KGU Faculty of Economics) | |
2015 | April | Exchange Agreement with Chonnam National University (Korea) and Guangxi University Xingjian College of Science and Liberal Arts (China) signed |
2016 | June | Exchange Agreement with Ewha Womans University (Korea) and National Taiwan Normal University (Taiwan) signed (KGU Faculty of Foreign studies) |
September | Exchange Agreement with Dalian Polytechnic University (China) signed | |
2018 | September | Exchange Agreement with University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Outreach College (USA) signed |
2019 | May | Inauguration of Building No.1 Mirai |
July | Exchange Agreement with Mahasaraswati University of Denpasar (Indonesia) signed (KGU Faculty of Economics) | |
December | Exchange Agreement with National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology (Taiwan) signed | |
2020 | January | Exchange Agreement with Ateneo De Manila University (Philippines) signed |
2022 | May | 80th anniversary |
2023 | May | 80th anniversary celebration |
August | Inter-Faculty Exchange Agreement with Korean Language Center Sungkonghoe University (Korea) signed |