About the Office of International Affairs

Office of International Affairs - Mission and Purpose

Kitasato University founder Shibasaburo Kitasato received intensive instruction from Dutch physician Constant George van Mansvelt in Kumamoto, Kitasato's hometown, leading him to the path of medicine. While studying in Germany under Dr. Robert Koch, Kitasato produced a tremendous amount of brilliant research results. As can be seen, Kitasato University clearly has its origins in international interaction.

Office of International Affairs - Mission and Purpose

Kitasato University's Office of International Affairs was established in April 2013 as a management organization to carry out the work of internationalizing the university's education and research. The office handles planning, drafting, surveys, analysis, liaisons, coordination and other work related to the entire university's international activities.
Director's message
What does the phrase “international exchange” mean to you? In recent years, words like internationalization and globalization have become commonplace in Japan. With the launch of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s Tobitate! (Leap for Tomorrow) Study Abroad Initiative (https://www.tobitate.mext.go.jp/about/index.html), more university and high school students are leaving Japan to study abroad than ever before. Study abroad allows students to immerse themselves in a foreign culture, experience the importance of hospitality as a visitor in a foreign country, and make many lifelong friends. However, what’s even more crucial is expanding your perspective by looking at Japan from the outside as well as having your own strong convictions.
 
Kitasato University is a comprehensive life science university with seven undergraduate schools and seven graduate schools, with a strength that comes from being a distinctive private university. Our undergraduate schools have concluded international exchange agreements with 39 academic institutions in 13 countries. Each of them is conducting student exchange programs, such as short-term study exchange programs, based on relationships of mutual trust, creating lifelong benefits to students. They also engage in international collaborative research based on their respective agreements.
 
There are currently many challenges for Kitasato University related to accepting international undergraduate students due to constraints placed on their curriculum related to national medical licensing examinations. However, we hope to see growing numbers of international students at our graduate schools, which will give our campus a highly international flavor.
 
Starting in the 2018 academic year, Cross-Cultural Interdisciplinary Case Study led by the School of Allied Health Sciences until last academic year will be run by the Office of International Affairs. This program which started at Kitasato University in the 2006 academic year, invites students primarily from each of our schools’ international partner institutions to participate. This program represents an excellent opportunity for our students to discuss the various challenges that face the field of medicine in English with students from Europe, the Americas and Southeast Asia, all without leaving the Kitasato campus. It is my hope that our students will proactively participate in the program and that this will lead to more Kitasato University students studying abroad.
Purpose
The Office of International Affairs seeks to train researchers, technicians and medical personnel who will be active on the world stage, and other global personnel with the necessary skills and mindset. We seek to fulfill the university's mission by creating a campus that radiates international sensibilities. We also focus on our development as an educational and research center that draws talented personnel from around the world, provides an internationally acceptable university education—and guarantees its quality—promotes abundantly creative research originating from Kitasato University. In addition, we seek to contribute to creative collaborations through international partnerships, solve global problems through joint international research, contribute to international society through life sciences education and research, and carry out medical care and promotional activities internationally.
Description of activities
  1. Creation of a global campus (credit acquisition systems, international exchange programs, etc.)
  2. Coordination and implementation of university-wide standards
  3. External negotiations as a representative of the entire university
  4. University-wide planning for international exchanges and other matters
  5. Coordination of interdepartmental planning and implementation
  6. Assessments of achievement levels within individual programs
  7. Coordination and implementation of policies to promote internationalization
  8. Other important matters related to internationalization
Organizational structure

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