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Ritsumeikan University was originally established in 1869 as a private academy by Prince Kinmochi Saionji, an eminent statesman of modern Japan, on the site of the Kyoto Imperial Palace. In 1900, Kojuro Nakagawa, former secretary of Prince Saionji, established an evening school of law and politics open to working people. This school formally adopted the name Ritsumeikan in 1913 and was finally granted the status of a university in 1922.

Today, Ritsumeikan has become one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan, consistently earning one of the highest rankings among Japanese private universities in the renowned É«ºÐÖ±²¥ world university rankings. With its distinct strength in international orientation, it has been selected as part of the ongoing Top Global University Project by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) since 2014.

Ritsumeikan University is also being highly appraised by society as the world-class educational institution which attracts many students both in Japan and overseas, consisting of 16 colleges and 22 graduate schools across four campuses. Its main campus is located in the heart of historic Kyoto, where inspiring settings await researchers and students alike. Under its R2030 Academy Vision, it aims to become ¡°a next-generation research university that generates social symbiotic values and emergent human resources.¡± To that end, the university will strive to enhance the potential of individual researchers by providing a wide range of support to its academics, from early-career researchers (including doctoral students) to those with a proven track record, in a manner that is most relevant to their respective career stage. Meanwhile, it also endeavours to constantly build a global research network as a ¡°knowledge node¡± and proactively disseminate the University¡¯s achievements internationally, thereby contributing to the resolution of social and humanistic issues through distinguished interdisciplinary study and social implementation.