, abbreviated to or NU, is a Japanese national

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

located in Chikusa-ku, Nagoya. It was established in 1939 as the last of the nine

Imperial Universities The were founded by the Empire of Japan between 1886 and 1939, seven in Mainland Japan, one in Korea under Japanese rule and one in Taiwan under Japanese rule. These universities were funded by the imperial government until the end of World War I ...

in the then

Empire of Japan The Empire of Japan, also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was the Japanese nation state that existed from the Meiji Restoration on January 3, 1868, until the Constitution of Japan took effect on May 3, 1947. From Japan–Kor ...

, and is now a Designated National University. The university is the birthplace of the Sakata School of physics and the Hirata School of chemistry. As of 2021, seven

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

winners have been associated with Nagoya University, the third most in Japan and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

behind

Kyoto University , or , is a National university, national research university in Kyoto, Japan. Founded in 1897, it is one of the former Imperial Universities and the second oldest university in Japan. The university has ten undergraduate faculties, eighteen gra ...

and the

University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo (, abbreviated as in Japanese and UTokyo in English) is a public research university in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1877 as the nation's first modern university by the merger of several pre-westernisation era ins ...

History

Nagoya Imperial University was established as the last of the

in 1939 and was later renamed Nagoya University in 1947. Although relatively new as a university, it can trace its roots back to a Temporary Medical School/Public Hospital opened in 1871. Renowned for its contributions in physics and chemistry, the university has been the birthplace of notable scientific advancements such as the Sakata model, the PMNS matrix, the Okazaki fragment, Noyori asymmetric hydrogenation, and the Blue LED. In March 2018, Nagoya University was chosen as one of the first five Designated National Universities. The Tokai National Higher Education and Research System, which became Japan's largest national higher education corporation, was formed by Nagoya University and Gifu University in April 2020. Both universities are prominent institutions in the Tōkai region.

The Nobel Prizes

Nearly half of the Japanese Nobel laureates in Natural Sciences in the 21st century have ties to Nagoya University, either as alumni or researchers. Among the seven Nobel laureates associated with the university, four served as professors and three as alumni. The 2021 Nobel laureate in Physics, Syukuro Manabe, was a specially invited professor at Nagoya University from December 2007 to March 2014.

Overview

Ideals

Nagoya University's Academic Charter emphasises nurturing courageous intellectuals through an education that values independent thought. The university is known for its 'freedom, openness, and enterprising' academic style. From its early days as Nagoya Imperial University, the principle of 'Harmony is to be valued' from the Seventeen-article constitution, championed by its first president, has been a guiding ethos.

Student population

While the majority of its students come from Tōkai region, Nagoya University has a good portion of students from all over Japan. The school also has many students from abroad. As of 2021, the total student enrolment is 15,771, with a total of over 1,900 international students from more than 110 countries.

Faculties and graduate schools

Faculties

*Humanities *Education *Law and political science *Economics *Informatics *Science *Medicine *Engineering *Agriculture

Graduate schools

*Humanities *Education and Human Development *Law and political science *Economics *Informatics *Science *Medicine *Engineering *Bioagricultural Sciences *International Development ( GSID) *Mathematics *Environmental Studies *Pharmaceutical Sciences

Research Institutes

Nagoya University houses many research institutes, such a
Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules
(ITbM)
Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research
(ISEE)
Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability
(IMaSS), an
Kobayashi-Masakawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe
(KMI). The university'

is represented on the national

Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction The Coordinating Committee for Earthquake Prediction (CCEP) (Japanese language, Japanese: 地震予知連絡会, ''Jishin Yochi Renraku-kai'') in Japan was founded in April 1969,

Institute of Transformative Bio-Molecules (ITbM)

ITbM was officially launched in April 2013, and is located in the Higashiyama campus of the university. It consists of a team of 14 principal investigators from within Nagoya University and other countries including Switzerland, Germany, Canada, and US. ITbM has five research fields: 'Parasitic plants', 'Chemistry-enabled plant adaptation', 'Clock diseases', 'Chemistry-enabled bioimaging', and 'Nanocarbon chemistry and biology'. Features of ITbM include having mix lab and offices, well-furnished with many high-quality instruments, and having English-speaking staff in the administration to facilitate the internationalization of the institute. ITbM also conducts the International Symposium on Transformative Bio-molecules (ISTbM) yearly in Nagoya, and presents awards such as the Hirata Award and Tsuneko & Reiji Okazaki Award to promising scientists in the fields of organic chemistry and biology.

Institute for Space-Earth Environmental Research (ISEE)

ISEE was established in October 2015, via the integration of the Solar-Terrestrial Environment Laboratory, the Hydrospheric Atmospheric Research Center, and the Center for Chronological Research, and is recognised by MEXT as a "Joint Usage/Research Center". ISEE consists of seven research divisions and three research centers, with interdisciplinary research (termed as 'fusion research') projects undergoing. The institute aims to contribute to solving global environmental issues and the space-related advancement of mankind and society, while also furthering the cooperation between academia and industry. International cooperation and collaborative research are key features of ISEE, including a yearly international symposium, the ISEE Summer Internship which accepts students from domestic and foreign universities, several ongoing international programs and projects, among many more.

Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability (IMaSS)

In 2004, the EcoTopia Science Institute was established through the restructuring and integration of several research centers, and was reorganized to NU's IMaSS in 2015. Its aim is to contribute to achieving an ecological and sustainable society via research on energy conservation, ranging from topics of materials and device technologies to system technologies, and is also recognised by MEXT as a "Joint Usage/Research Center". IMaSS consists of the Center for Integrated Research of Future Electronics (CIRFE), Advanced Measurement Technology Center (AMTC), Division of Materials Research (DM), Division of Systems Research (DS), two funded research divisions by Chubu Electric Power and

Toyota Motor Corporation is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

, and 10 industry–academia collaborative chairs. IMaSS also actively promotes international collaboration and joint research, and has research agreements with institutes and universities from many countries across the world including China, Korea, US, France, Thailand, and many more.

Kobayashi-Masakawa Institute for the Origin of Particles and the Universe (KMI)

KMI was established in 2010 as an international research hub for interdisciplinary particle physics and astrophysics, and was named after 2008 Nobel Prize winners Makoto Kobayashi and Toshihide Masakawa. It consists of two divisions, Division of Experimental Studies and Division of Theoretical Studies, and a new Internal Research Center for Flavor Physics was established in April 2023. It has several international partner institutions such as Tel Aviv University and Yonsei University, and also runs a JSPS Core-to-Core program 'DMNet' which focuses on dark matter research. Many KMI members belong to laboratories from the university's Graduate School of Science, Graduate School of Mathematics and ISEE, and although the institute does not directly accept students, graduate students can work with KMI members and be involved in the research.

Campus life

Federation of Liberal Arts Circles

The federation was founded in 1961, and aims to help facilitate "better communications between circles, increase in literacy of students, encourage better understanding of each other and enhance friendship, as well as promoting and developing cultural activities." Some examples of circles in Nagoya University include tea ceremony, art, volunteering activities, music and dance, and literature, among the wide range of more than 60 circles officially registered.

Athletic Association

The athletic association was founded in 1956, and currently has more than 50 member athletic clubs. Nagoya University and Osaka University hold regular Athletics Competition every year (名古屋大学・大阪大学対抗競技大会). In addition, the has been held since 1962. The competition is commonly called the or the .

Nagoya University Festival "Meidai-sai"

The university festival "Meidai-sai" is held every year in June since 1960, at the Higashiyama campus. Each year, the festival boasts a wide variety of approximately 100 events and activities, including laboratory tours, presentations, and hands-on activities organised by clubs and circles. Clubs and circles also set up food stalls selling various foods such as

yakisoba (, , ) is a Japanese noodle Stir frying, stir-fried dish. Usually, soba noodles are made from buckwheat flour, but soba in are Chinese-style noodles () made from wheat flour, typically flavored with a condiment similar to Worcestershire sauce ...

(Japanese fried noodle dish) and kakigōri (shaved ice dessert). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Meidai-sai was held online for both years 2020 and 2021.

Academic rankings

Nagoya University is recognised as a prestigious institution of education and learning in Japan.

General rankings

The

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

(ARWU) for 2021 ranks Nagoya University as third in Japan and 84th worldwide. Nagoya University is ranked 118th globally by the

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

for 2022, and 28th by the 2022 QS Asian University Rankings. The

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

rank Nagoya University as seventh in Japan and 351–400th globally.

Research performance

Nagoya University is one of the top research institutions in Japan. It has obtained the 6th place in general rankings for scientific research in Japan, with 1.3% of publications being highly cited. Furthermore, Nagoya had the 5th highest number of patents accepted (111) in 2019 among Japanese universities. According to a ranking released by

Thomson Reuters Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational corporation, multinational content-driven technology Conglomerate (company), conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and maintains its headquarters at 1 ...

in 2011, Nagoya is the 5th best research university in Japan. Its research standard is especially high in Physics (6th in Japan, 61st in the world), Chemistry (7th in Japan, 43rd in the world), and Biology & Biochemistry (5th in Japan, 97th in the world). (this ranking includes non-educational institutions)

Alumni rankings

According to

Toyo Keizai is a book and magazine publisher specializing in politics, economics and business, based in Tokyo, Japan. The company is famous for established in 1895, one of three Japanese leading business magazines ranked with published by Nikkei Busines ...

's "Ranking of the 200 Best Universities with Graduates Employed at Major Companies" in 2020, graduates from Nagoya University have the 12th best employment rate in 400 major companies in Japan, compared to the 2010s rankings where Nagoya University was ranked 38th.

International education

Global 30 Project

Nagoya University, recognised for its global academic excellence, is a Type A university in the Top Global University Project by MEXT and has been offering the Global 30 (G30) International Programs since 2011. These programmes, conducted entirely in English, span various majors across undergraduate and graduate levels in fields such as humanities, law, economics, science, engineering, agriculture, and medicine, with yearly matriculation in October. The programme emphasises language proficiency by requiring international undergraduates to take Japanese classes, provides small class sizes, and encourages intensive research. Undergraduate students complete a thesis or lab work, while graduate programmes are research-focused, requiring applicants to align with professors' research interests.

Exchange programmes

Nagoya University offers several exchange programmes for international students, including the Nagoya University Program for Academic Exchange (NUPACE), established in 1996. NUPACE, a short-term exchange program lasting four to twelve months, has welcomed over 2,300 students from 155 institutions, offering a range of courses in English and Japanese. These courses cover Japanese language, intercultural studies, and major-specific topics, with some exclusive to NUPACE and others, such as G30 courses, open to regular students. Participants also have the option to engage in research under faculty guidance and enjoy benefits like student insurance counseling and accommodation in international dormitories. Other exchange programmes include Campus Asia for discussions on East Asian law and political science, JUACEP for engineering research in Japan, the US, and Canada, NUSIP focusing on automobile technology, and NUSTEP for intensive Japanese language learning. For Nagoya University students, there are opportunities to study abroad at partner universities under inter-university and inter-school agreements, covering 161 and 306 universities respectively. These programmes offer financial aid, including travel expense coverage and stipends or loans. Engineering students can also participate in JUACEP, enabling them to conduct research and experience the research environment in North American institutions.

International Student Organisations

Nagoya University supports a vibrant community of international student organisations. These include the Nagoya University International Student Group
NUISG
, which focuses on integrating G30 program students through various activities and information sharing since 2011; the Nagoya University International Student Association
NUFSA
, established in 1976 to enhance cultural diversity and interaction among students; and the Co-op Foreign Student Association
COFSA
, formed in 2015 to facilitate cross-cultural exchange and community building. Additionally, th
Nagoya University HeForShe Club
started in 2017, promotes gender equality awareness through various events and activities.

Notable alumni and affiliates

:''Full list can be found in the Japanese Wikipedia article: List of Nagoya University people (in Japanese)''

Physics and Materials

File:Sakata_Shoichi.JPG, Shoichi Sakata (坂田昌一), a physicist, known for theoretical work on the subatomic particles ( Sakata model),

Nobel Prize in Physics The Nobel Prize in Physics () is an annual award given by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences for those who have made the most outstanding contributions to mankind in the field of physics. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the ...

nominee. File:Makoto_Kobayashi-press_conference_Dec_07th,_2008-2b.jpg, Makoto Kobayashi (小林誠), one of the 2008

for CKM matrix. File:Toshihide Masukawa-press conference Dec 07th, 2008-4.jpg, Toshihide Maskawa (益川敏英), one of the 2008

for CKM matrix. File:Isamu Akasaki 20141211.jpg, Isamu Akasaki (赤崎勇), one of the 2014

for inventing the blue LED. File:Hiroshi Amano 20141211.jpg, Hiroshi Amano (天野浩), one of the 2014

for inventing the blue LED. File:Crafoord_Prize_EM1B0732_(42329290061).jpg, Syukuro Manabe (真鍋淑郎), one of the 2021

for physical modeling of Earth's climate. * Yoshio Ohnuki (大貫義郎), a physicist, 1955–56

nominee. * Hiroomi Umezawa (梅沢博臣), a physicist, known for his fundamental contributions to

quantum field theory In theoretical physics, quantum field theory (QFT) is a theoretical framework that combines Field theory (physics), field theory and the principle of relativity with ideas behind quantum mechanics. QFT is used in particle physics to construct phy ...

. * Yasushi Takahashi (高橋康), a physicist, known for the Ward–Takahashi identity. * Bunji Sakita (崎田文二), a physicist, one of the discoverers of

supersymmetry Supersymmetry is a Theory, theoretical framework in physics that suggests the existence of a symmetry between Particle physics, particles with integer Spin (physics), spin (''bosons'') and particles with half-integer spin (''fermions''). It propo ...

. * Sumio Iijima (飯島澄男), a physicist, inventor of

carbon nanotubes A carbon nanotube (CNT) is a tube made of carbon with a diameter in the nanometre range (nanoscale). They are one of the allotropes of carbon. Two broad classes of carbon nanotubes are recognized: * ''Single-walled carbon nanotubes'' (''SWC ...

. * Akira Tonomura (外村彰), a physicist, for his development of

electron holography Electron holography is holography with electron matter waves. It was invented by Dennis Gabor in 1948 when he tried to improve image resolution in electron microscope. The first attempts to perform holography with electron waves were made by Hain ...

* Toshio Matsumoto (松本敏雄), an astronomer, professor emeritus of

JAXA The is the Japanese national air and space agency. Through the merger of three previously independent organizations, JAXA was formed on 1 October 2003. JAXA is responsible for research, technology development and launch of satellites into o ...

. * Morinobu Endo (遠藤守信), a physicist and chemist, pioneers of carbon nanofibers and

synthesis.

Chemistry and Biology

File:Koji_Nakanishi.jpg, Koji Nakanishi (中西香爾), a Japanese-American bioorganic and natural products chemist, graduated from Nagoya, professor at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

. File:Ryoji_Noyori_20021212.jpg, Ryōji Noyori (野依良治), one of the 2001

Nobel Prize in Chemistry The Nobel Prize in Chemistry () is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outst ...

winners, spent most of his academic career researching and teaching at the university. File:Osamu_Shimomura-press_conference_Dec_06th,_2008-2.jpg, Osamu Shimomura (下村脩), one of the 2008

for green fluorescent protein (GFP). File:Yoshito_Kishi_2002_2003.jpg, Yoshito Kishi (岸義人), Morris Loeb Professor of Chemistry at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. File:Tsuneko_Okazaki_cropped_1_Tsuneko_Okazaki_20211103.jpg, Tsuneko Okazaki (岡崎恆子), pioneering molecular biologists, discoverer of the Okazaki fragments, 2000 L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science winner. File:Masatoshi_Takeichi_cropped_Masatoshi_Takeichi_20001212.jpg, Masatoshi Takeichi (竹市雅俊), a cell biologist, discoverer of the

Cadherin Cadherins (named for "calcium-dependent adhesion") are cell adhesion molecules important in forming adherens junctions that let cells adhere to each other. Cadherins are a class of type-1 transmembrane proteins, and they depend on calcium (Ca2+) ...

, 2020 Canada Gairdner International Award winner. * Kuno Yasu (久野寧), a physiologist, 1936, 1938, 1953

Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...

nominee. * Yoshimasa Hirata (平田義正), an organic chemist, known for "Hirata-school" in Japan. *

Reiji Okazaki was a pioneer Japanese molecular biologist, known for his research on DNA replication and especially for describing the role of Okazaki fragments along with his wife Tsuneko. Okazaki was born in Hiroshima, Japan. He graduated in 1953 from ...

(岡崎令治), Pioneering molecular biologists, discoverer of the Okazaki fragments, graduated from Nagoya and later became a professor at the university. * Hisashi Yamamoto (山本尚), a Japanese chemist, laureate of the Medal of Honor with a Purple Ribbon. *

Tohru Fukuyama is a Japanese organic chemist and Professor of Chemistry at University of Tokyo in Japan. He discovered the Fukuyama coupling in 1998. Biography Fukuyama studied chemistry at Nagoya University with degrees Bachelor's (1971) and Master's (1973) ...

(福山透), an organic chemist and professor of chemistry at the

Mathematics

File:Masayoshi_Nagata.jpg,

Masayoshi Nagata Masayoshi Nagata ( Japanese: 永田雅宜 ''Nagata Masayoshi''; February 9, 1927 – August 27, 2008) was a Japanese mathematician, known for his work in the field of commutative algebra. Work Nagata's compactification theorem shows that al ...

(永田雅宜), mathematician, disproved Hilbert's fourteenth problem. File:Shigefumi_Mori_cropped_2_Shigefumi_Mori_20211103.jpg, Shigefumi Mori (森重文), one of the 1990 Fields Medalists, spent most of his academic career at the university until he won the Fields Medal in 1990. File:Masaki_Kashiwara_(ICM_2018)_(2).jpg, Masaki Kashiwara (柏原正樹), mathematician, 2025 Abel Prize winner. * Goro Azumaya (東屋五郎), a Japanese mathematician, introduced the notion of Azumaya algebra. * Masatake Kuranishi (倉西正武), a Japanese mathematician, established the Cartan-Kuranishi Theorem. * Tomio Kubota (久保田富雄), a Japanese mathematician. * Takashi Ono (小野孝), a Japanese mathematician. * Hiroshi Umemura (mathematician) (梅村博), a Japanese mathematician who studied Painlevé equations, particularly

Galois theory In mathematics, Galois theory, originally introduced by Évariste Galois, provides a connection between field (mathematics), field theory and group theory. This connection, the fundamental theorem of Galois theory, allows reducing certain problems ...

Politics and Buniness

File:Shoichiro_Toyoda_cropped_4_Shoichiro_Toyoda_wins_Woodrow_Wilson_Award.jpg, Shoichiro Toyoda (豊田章一郞), Ex-CEO of

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

Motor. File:Uichiro_Niwa_2009.jpg, Uichiro Niwa (丹羽宇一郎), Japanese Ambassador to China, former Chairman and President of

Itochu is a Japanese corporation based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. It is one of the largest Japanese ''sogo shosha'' (general trading and investment companies) distinguished by the strength of its textil ...

, former CEO of

Japan Post Holdings is a Japanese publicly traded Conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is mainly engaged in postal and logistics business, financial window business, banking business and life insura ...

* Tang Jun, President and CEO of Xin Hua Du Industrial Group Co. * Sai Khaing Myo Tun – Deputy Minister of Education of National Unity Government of Myanmar *Le Thanh Long – Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam * Ken Prayoon Cheng – Entrepreneur and investor, founder of many successful US-based companies including NetIQ/ Attachmate, Proximex/

Tyco International Tyco International was a security systems company incorporated in the Republic of Ireland, with operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, United States (Tyco International (US) Inc.). Tyco International was composed of two major busin ...

, etc.

References

External links

* *
Nagoya Repository
– collection of scholarly papers and dissertations by the faculty and students of Nagoya University.
Information about the English-taught Full Degree ProgramCourses offered in English
{{Authority control Universities and colleges established in 1939 Japanese national universities National Seven Universities Universities and colleges in Nagoya 1939 establishments in Japan Super Global Universities