Hosei University

The league is known for players who go on to have careers in Japan's professional baseball leagues. A member of the Top Global University Project (Top Type), funded by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) in 2014. This program supports universities aiming to enhance their global competitiveness and internationalization.

• Name — Hosei University • Native Name — 法政大学 • Latin Name — Universitas Hosei • Type — Private Research University • Established — 1880; 145 years ago • President — Diana Khor • City — Tokyo • Country — Japan • Undergrad — 28,000 • Postgrad — 2,007 • Faculty — 746 • Campus — Urban and suburban • Free Label — Member of • Free — Tokyo 6 Universities • Colors — Orange and blue • Sports Nickname — Hosei Orange • Mascot — Ekopyon • Sporting Affiliations — Tokyo Big6 Baseball League

• Illustration — Gustave Émile Boissonade de Fontarabie The university originated as a school of law, Tōkyō Hōgakusha (i.e. Tokyo association of law), established in 1880, and the following year renamed Tōkyō Hōgakkō (i.e. Tokyo school of law). This was from 1883 headed by Dr. Gustave Boissonade, and was heavily influenced by the French legal tradition. It merged in 1889 with a school of French studies, Tōkyō Futsugakkō (i.e. Tokyo French school), that had been founded three years earlier. It adopted the name Hosei University (Hōsei daigaku, i.e. university of law and politics) in 1903 and gained university status in 1920.

• Illustration — First Ichigaya school building in 1921 Hosei University traces its roots to 1880 (Meiji 13), when Tokyo Hogakusha was founded in Surugadai, Tokyo, by Tetsu Kanamaru, Osamu Ito, and Masakuni Sattva. The institution emerged during Japan's liberal civil rights movement and the establishment of a modern legal system, focusing on training legal professionals. Its guiding principle of “liberty and progress” was inspired by the influence of French law, introduced by Gustave Boissonade, a French legal scholar invited to Japan to draft key legal codes and train lawyers. In 1881 (Meiji 14), after the government banned private law schools, Tokyo Hogakusha briefly closed, but the Koho Bureau split off and renamed itself the Tokyo Law School in 1883 (Meiji 16), with Boissonade serving as vice principal. In 1889 (Meiji 22), the school merged with the Tokyo French School, established in 1886 (Meiji 19) by the French Society, becoming the Franco-Japanese Law School. Its first principal, Rinsho Minosaku, translated the French Civil Code and introduced key legal terms such as “rights,” “duties,” and “civil rights.” • Illustration — Fujimi school building (early Showa period) with its shadow reflected in the cool water In 1899 (Meiji 32), under principal Ume Kenjirō, the school implemented significant reforms, launching advanced courses for continuing education, language programs in English, German, and French, and systems for independent study, auditing, and preferential enrollment. These reforms laid the foundation for the institution's growth. In 1903 (Meiji 36), the school was renamed Hosei University under the Senmon Gakko Ordinance, offering preparatory courses for daytime students, university and specialized courses for evening students, and a graduate school of advanced studies. The university expanded further under Ume's leadership, embodying his philosophy of “open education.” In 1920 (Taisho 9), Hosei University gained official status as a private university under the University Ordinance. It initially included the Faculty of Law and Faculty of Economics, along with preparatory and professional studies. The university relocated to its current campus in Fujimi-cho, Tokyo, in 1921 (Taisho 10). By 1922 (Taisho 11), the Faculty of Letters was added, including departments such as Philosophy and Literature, and the university transitioned from night classes to full-time day programs with a dedicated faculty structure. Today, it is a comprehensive institution with 15 faculties, 13 graduate schools, a School of Correspondence Education, and professional graduate schools.

Hosei has three main campuses, which it calls Ichigaya, Koganei, and Tama. The Ichigaya campus is an urban campus halfway between Ichigaya and Iidabashi stations in central Tokyo; its 26-story Boissonade Tower, completed in 2000, can be seen from either station. The campus is located close to the Yasukuni Shrine. Natural sciences are studied at the Koganei campus to the west of Tokyo, and other subjects are split between Tama (located in Machida, which is near Hachiōji), and Ichigaya.

• Illustration — Ichigaya campus

• Faculty of Law (Hōgakubu) • Faculty of Letters (Bungakubu) • Faculty of Business Administration (Keieigakubu) • Faculty of Intercultural Communication (Kokusai-bunka-gakubu) • Faculty of Sustainability Studies (Ningen-kankyō-gakubu) • Faculty of Lifelong Learning and Career Studies (Kyaria-dezain-gakubu) • Faculty of Engineering and Design (Dezain-kōgakubu) • Faculty of Global and Interdisciplinary Studies (GIS, Gurōbaru-kyōyō-gakubu) (from 2008) • Sports Science Institute (SSI, Supōtsu-saiensu-insutityūto)

• Graduate School of Humanities (Jinbun-kagaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Economics (Keizaigaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Law (Hōgaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Politics (Seijigaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Sociology (Shakaigaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Business Administration (Keieigaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Policy Sciences (Seisaku-kagaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Environmental Management (Kankyō-manejimento-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Intercultural Communication (Kokusai-bunka-kenkyūka) • International Japan-Studies Institute (Kokusai-nihongaku-insutityūto) • Law School (Hōka-daigakuin) • Business School of Innovation Management (Inobēshon-manejimento-kenkyūka)

• Illustration — Hosei Tama Campus • Faculty of Economics (Keizaigakubu) • Faculty of Social Sciences (Shakaigakubu) • Faculty of Social Policy and Administration (Gendai-fukushi-gakubu) • Graduate School of Social Well-Being Studies (Ningen-shakai-kenkyūka)

• Illustration — Koganei campus • Faculty of Engineering (Kōgakubu) (being phased out) • Faculty of Science and Engineering (Rikōgakubu) (from 2008) • Faculty of Bioscience and Applied Chemistry (Seimeikagakubu) (from 2008) • Faculty of Computer and Information Science (Jōhōkagakubu) • Graduate School of Engineering (Kōgaku-kenkyūka) • Graduate School of Computer and Information Science (Jōhōkagaku-kenkyūka)

• Ōhara Institute for Social Research, Hosei University • Nogami Memorial Hosei University Nohgaku Research Institute • Hosei University Institute for Okinawan studies • Boissonade Institute of Modern Law and politics • Japan Statistics Research Institute of Hosei University • Hosei University Research Center for International Japanese Studies

• Illustration — Hosei University Baseball Club players in 1931 Baseball (Hosei University Baseball Team): American Football (Hosei Tomahawks): • Illustration — Hosei Tomahawks

• Sadayoshi Fukuda, philosopher and critic

• Yoshihide Suga, the 99th Prime Minister of Japan • Kazunori Tanaka, Diet representative, Minister of Reconstruction (2019–2020) • Kosuke Ito, Diet representative • Hideo Jinpu, Diet representative • Yukio Jitsukawa, Diet representative • Emi Kaneko, Diet representative • Taku Yamamoto, Diet representative • Yoshio Yatsu, Diet representative • Shinpei Matsushita, Member of the House of Councillors • Hiroko Uehara, former mayor of Kunitachi City

• Yukihiro Doi, racing cyclist • Takuya Honda, football player • Kairi Hojo, professional wrestler • Takayuki Mikami, karateka • Kyohei Morita, rugby player • Yuka Sato, figure skater • Tadashi Wakabayashi, baseball player • Nishida Hiroki, Volleyball Player • Keihan Takahashi, Volleyball Player • Ayase Ueda, soccer player

• Mizuhito Akiyama, author • Chiho Aoshima, artist • Mew Azama, model and actress • Satoshi Dezaki, anime director • Shu Fujisawa, author • Tomoko Hoshino, actress • Norihiro Inoue, actor • Mitsuaki Iwagō, photographer • Hiroh Kikai, photographer • Shin Kishida, actor* • Hiroto Kōmoto, singer* • Aki Maeda, actress • Masao Maruyama, film producer • Michiko Matsumoto, photographer • Katsuhito Nakazato, photographer • Kinoko Nasu, author • Kouhei Kadono, author • Midori Sawato, film narrator • Haruka Takachiho, author • Yōsuke Yamahata, photographer* • Shuichi Yoshida, novelist • Yasumi Matsuno, video game creator* • Shōgo Yano, voice actor

• Kenji Goto, journalist and writer • Masahiro Hara, engineer • Hu Han Min, Chinese Kuomintang politician • Yoshiko Miya, journalist • Yusuke Araki, FIFA football referee • dropped out before graduation

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VNU * • National Sun Yat-sen University • Tamkang University • Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages • Chung Yuan Christian University • National Formosa University • National Yunlin University of Science and Technology • National Kaohsiung Normal University • Shih Chien University • National Taiwan Normal University • National Chengchi University * • Cambodian Mekong University • Royal University of Phnom Penh * • National University of Laos * • Asia Pacific University of Technology & Innovation • University of Malaya • University of Technology, Malaysia • UCSI University • Universiti Teknologi MARA * • Polytechnic University of Milan • University Carlo Cattaneo • Ca' Foscari University of Venice * • University of Vienna * • Swiss Federal Institute of Technology • University of St. Gallen • University of Zurich * • University of Barcelona • Institut Ramon Llull * • Czech Technical University in Prague * • Humboldt University of Berlin • University of Oldenburg • Leuphana University of Lüneburg • Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University • University of Bremen • Stuttgart Technology University of Applied Sciences * • Corvinus University of Budapest * • Pantheon-Sorbonne University • Jean Moulin University Lyon 3 • Catholic University of the West • Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University • Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye • Aix-Marseille University • University of Strasbourg • University of Toulouse II – Le Mirail * • Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts * • National University of La Plata * • Universidad Anáhuac México Norte • University of Guadalajara

The Faculty of Law traces its origins back to 1880, with the establishment of Tokyo Hogakusha, a school dedicated to training legal professionals during the transformative Meiji era. This period marked the modernization of Japan, including the adoption of Western legal systems, and the Faculty of Law played a key role in that movement. Influential in its early development was Dr. Gustave Emile Boissonade, a distinguished French legal scholar who served as a legal advisor to the Japanese government. • Illustration — Hosei University 53' Building and 55' Building The Faculty of Economics, established in 1920. Also, Hosei University still offers an economics program in English, which is called IGESS (Institute for Global Economics and Social Sciences). It also offers opportunities for international exchange. • Illustration — Kiyoshi Miki at Hosei University

• Sadateru Arikawa, aikido teacher • Faubion Bowers, American academic • Shu Fujisawa, writer • Sadayoshi Fukuda • Kojin Karatani, philosopher and literary critic • Shunji Karube, athlete • Kiyozō Kazama, professor of comparative linguistics • Ume Kenjirō, legal scholar • Ōmi Komaki, scholar and translator • Taro Kono, politician • Samezō Kuruma, economist • Ryokichi Minobe, economist, educator and politician • Shūmei Ōkawa, Japanese nationalist and Pan-Asianist writer • Mitsukuri Rinsho, statesman and legal scholar • Ishimoda Shō, historian • Fujisawa Shu, writer • Morita Sōhei, novelist and translator • Hiroshi Takahashi, architect • Jūji Tanabe, literature scholar, teacher, and mountain climber • Hyakken Uchida, author and academic • Tetsuro Watsuji, historian and philosopher • Masahiro Hara, engineer, inventor of QR code