Hiroshima University

Hiroshima University in 1955

Under the National School Establishment Law, Hiroshima University was established on May 31, 1949. After World War II, the school system in Japan was entirely reformed and each of the institutions of higher education under the pre-war system was reorganized. As a general rule, one national university was established in each prefecture, and Hiroshima University became a national university under the new system by combining the pre-war higher educational institutions in Hiroshima Prefecture.

The following eight schools were integrated or merged into Hiroshima University under the new system of education.[1]

• Hiroshima University of Literature and Science (広島文理科大学, Hiroshima Bunrika Daigaku)
• Hiroshima Higher Normal School (広島高等師範学校, Hiroshima Kōtō Shihan Gakkō) - also translated "Hiroshima School of Secondary Education"
• Hiroshima Women's Higher Normal School (広島女子高等師範学校, Hiroshima Joshi Kōtō Shihan Gakkō) - also translated "Hiroshima Women's School of Secondary Education"
• Hiroshima Higher School (広島高等学校, Hiroshima Kōtō Gakkō)
• Hiroshima Normal School (広島師範学校, Hiroshima Shihan Gakkō) - also translated "Hiroshima School of Education"
• Hiroshima Youth Normal School (広島青年師範学校, Hiroshima Seinen Shihan Gakkō) - also translated "Hiroshima Young Men's Normal School" or "Hiroshima School of Education for Youth"
• Hiroshima Higher Technical School (広島高等工業学校 / 広島工業専門学校, Hiroshima Kōtō Kōgyō Gakkō / Hiroshima Kōgyō Senmon Gakkō)
• Hiroshima Municipal Higher Technical School (広島市立工業専門学校, Hiroshima Shiritsu Kōgyō Senmon Gakkō)

In 1953-1956, Hiroshima Medical College (広島医科大学, Hiroshima Ika Daigaku) consolidated into Hiroshima University.[2]

Some of these institutions were already notable. Above all, Hiroshima School of Secondary Education, founded in 1902, had a distinguished place as one of the nation's two centers for training middle school teachers. The Hiroshima University of Literature and Science was founded in 1929 as one of the national universities and, with the Hiroshima School of Secondary Education which was formerly affiliated to it, were highly notable.

The present Hiroshima University, which was created from these two institutions as well as three other "old-system" training institutions for teachers, continues to hold an important position among the universities and colleges in Japan. Hiroshima Higher Technical School, which has many alumnae in the manufacturing industry, was founded in 1920 and was promoted to a Technical College (Senmon Gakko) in 1944. Hiroshima Higher School was founded in 1923 as one of the pre-war higher schools which prepared students for Imperial and other government-supported universities. Although these institutions suffered a great deal of damage due to the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, they were reconstructed and combined to become the new Hiroshima University. Graduate schools were established in 1953. After completing the reconstruction, in order to seek wider campus, the relocation to local area(Higashihiroshima) was planned and decided by 1972. Hiroshima University relocated to Higashihiroshima from Hiroshima City between 1982 and 1995. In Hiroshima City, there are still some Campuses (School of Medicine, School of Dentistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Graduate School in these fields in Kasumi Campus and Law School and Center for Research on Regional Economic System in Higashi-Senda Campus).[3]

• Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden
• Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine
• Institute for Peace Science
• Research Institute for Higher Education

• Higashi-Hiroshima Campus, Kagami-yama 1-chome, Higashihiroshima
• Kasumi Campus, 1-2-3, Kasumi, Minami-ku, Hiroshima
• Higashisenda Campus, 1-1-89, Higashi-senda-machi, Naka-ku, Hiroshima

Politics

• Wataru Kubo[note 1] - member of the National Diet, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Finance
• Osamu Fujimura - member of the National Diet, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minister of State
• Yoshinobu Ohira - member of the National Diet
• Chōbyō Yara[note 2] - Chief Executive of the Government of the Ryukyu Islands, Governor of Okinawa Prefecture
• Yura Halim[note 1] - Chief Minister (Menteri Besar) of Brunei, Brunei Ambassador to Japan

Business

• Takeshi Taketsuru[note 3] - President of Nikka Whisky Distilling

Academic

• Kuniyoshi Obara[note 2] - scholar of education, education reformer, founder of Tamagawa Gakuen and Tamagawa University
• Shintaro Uda[note 2] - engineer, Professor Emeritus at Tohoku University, IEEE Milestone, Japan Academy Prize
• Yoshio Koide[note 2] - theoretical physicist, Professor Emeritus at University of Shizuoka
• Tsutomu Yanagida - physicist, Professor Emeritus at University of Tokyo, Humboldt Prize, Nishina Memorial Prize
• Tomoyuki Nishita - engineer, Professor Emeritus at University of Tokyo, Steven A. Coons Award
• Akinori Noma - physiologists, Professor Emeritus at Kyoto University
• Katsuya Kodama - peace researcher and sociologist, Vice-President of International Social Science Council at UNESCO
• Tsuguo Hongo[note 1] - mycologist, Professor Emeritus at Shiga University
• Akira Miyawaki[note 1] - botanist, Professor Emeritus at Yokohama National University, Blue Planet Prize
• Makoto Nishimura - biologist
• Shigeru Nakayama[note 4] - historian of science, Professor Emeritus at Kanagawa University
• Kazuyoshi Kino[note 4] - Buddhist scholar

Culture

• Hiroko Oyamada - author of fiction, Akutagawa Prize
• Fumiyo Kōno[note 5] - manga artist
• Kōhei Kiyasu - voice actor, actor, scriptwriter
• Akira Sakata - free jazz saxophonist
• Kenzō Tange[note 4] - architect, Pritzker Architecture Prize, AIA Gold Medal, Praemium Imperiale, Legion of Honour, Order of Culture
• Hiroyuki Agawa[note 4] - author of fiction and literary critic, Kikuchi Kan Prize, Noma Literary Prize, Mainichi Publishing Culture Award, Yomiuri Prize for Literature, Japan Art Academy Prize & Imperial Prize of the Japan Art Academy, Person of Cultural Merit, Order of Culture
• Toshiyuki Kajiyama[note 2] - author of fiction and journalist

Others

• Sunao Tsuboi[note 3] - anti-nuclear and anti-war activist

• List of universities in Japan

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hiroshima University.

• Hiroshima University
• Hiroshima University Study Abroad Program: Information for incoming exchange students from partner universities

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