Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific Univetsity (APU)

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) is an international education institution founded in April 2000 in Beppu, Ōita, Japan. APU is a member of the greater Ritsumeikan Academy which includes APU, Ritsumeikan University and a number of primary, junior and senior high schools throughout Japan.

APU’s values are based on a vision of freedom, peace, humanity and international mutual understanding in the Asia Pacific region.

Established only 13 years ago, APU has already gained recognition as the most international university in Japan with a strong international orientation in its aims and educational programs.

Today, there is the highest number of foreign students working toward a degree in APU. The 2,692 students from 81 countries represent 43 percent of the total body. (The New York Times 2012).

Like Akita International University, APU is frequently visited by recruiters from leading companies. A survey by The Nikkei Shimbun in 2012 asked human resources headhunters from major Japanese companies which universities they were paying most attention to, in terms of nurturing talent. The first three spots went to Akita, the University of Tokyo and APU.

Eduniversal, a French based university ranking web-site, selected APU as one of the top 1,000 business schools in the world and awarded the APU Graduate School of Management the rank of “Excellent Business School”.