Established in 1858 by Yukichi Fukuzawa as a small school of Western learning, Keio has a history as Japan’s very first private institution of higher learning. Over 150 years since its founding, Keio has thrived under its founder’s motto of jitsugaku, or empirical science, as it continues to transform Japan as a modern nation through contributions to education, research, and medicine.

Jitsugaku is a way of learning about the world pursued by Keio University’s founder Yukichi Fukuzawa through the application of reason, observation, and verification, and it stemmed from his desire to break free of the Confucian ideals that informed scholarship in 19th-century Japan. Jitsugaku is science in the truest sense of the word and a powerful tool in Keio University’s never-ending search for practical solutions to real-life problems.

Keio University leverages its strengths as a comprehensive university to promote multidisciplinary research under the three initiatives of Longevity, Security, and Creativity. We are also cultivating individuals equipped with international mindsets and making contributions to solve both domestic and global challenges through international joint research under these three initiatives while developing various educational programs.