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Japan · Verified University · Reviewed 2026-10-16

Kobe University - Rokkodai Main Campus

Kobe University is one of Japan’s prestigious National Seven Universities (formerly Kobe Higher Commercial School), overlooking Osaka Bay from Mount Rokko, celebrated as Japan’s birthplace of business administration and economics, alongside world-leading research in membranes, law, and biosystems.

Official university portal ↗Source-reviewed directory

Key institutional facts

Institution
Kobe University - Rokkodai Main Campus (Kobe Univ Rokkodai)
Location
Nada-ku, Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
Established
1902
Student Population
16,200+
International Proportion
9%
Faculty
2,600+

Academic overview & research priorities

Renowned for establishing Japan’s first Faculty of Business Administration, Kobe University excels in international corporate management, computational science (partnered with the Fugaku supercomputer at RIKEN Kobe), membrane science technology, and international law. The Rokkodai Campus houses historic stone buildings designated as Tangible Cultural Properties.

Research admissions & international criteria

Graduate admissions require a recognized Bachelor or Master degree with competitive academic standing, research proposal, and letters of recommendation. English-taught graduate programs (KIMAP, GMAP, and Engineering) require TOEFL iBT 85+ or IELTS 6.5+.

Academic degrees & funding opportunities (7)

Ph.D. in Business Administration and Strategic Global Management (KIMAP in Management)

English-taught doctoral program at Japan’s birthplace of business administration, focusing on multinational corporate strategy, behavioral finance, supply chain agility, and organizational sociology.

Type
Degree Program
Deadline
December 15, 2026 (April 2027 Intake) / June 1, 2027 (October Intake)
Funding
MEXT University Recommendation Scholarships (¥145,000/month stipend plus 100% tuition waiver) and Kobe University Doctoral Research Fellowships
Full details & requirements ↗

Department faculty & researchers (4)

Prof. Dr. Hideto Matsuyama

Director of the Center for Membrane and Film Technology and Professor of Chemical Engineering · Graduate School of Engineering / Research Center for Membrane and Film Technology

Prof. Dr. Hideto Matsuyama is an international authority on membrane separation science, directing Japan’s premier membrane research center and holding patents on antifouling hollow-fiber water filtration membranes.

Polymer Membrane Desalination Forward Osmosis Water Purification Phase Inversion Membrane Morphology Carbon Capture Gas Separation
View research profile ↗

Prof. Dr. Katsuhiko Kokubu

Dean of the Graduate School of Business Administration and Professor of Social and Environmental Accounting · Graduate School of Business Administration

Prof. Dr. Katsuhiko Kokubu is a global pioneer in Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA), authoring international ISO standards (ISO 14051) and consulting multinational firms on quantifying environmental supply chain waste.

Material Flow Cost Accounting (MFCA) Corporate Sustainability Governance Environmental Management Accounting ESG Reporting Disclosure
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Prof. Dr. Tomotaka Sakano

Professor of Public International Law and Maritime Jurisprudence · Graduate School of Law

Prof. Dr. Tomotaka Sakano advises national maritime delegations on UNCLOS compliance, deep seabed mining legalities, and dispute settlement mechanisms before international tribunals.

Law of the Sea Conventions (UNCLOS) Maritime Boundary Dispute Delimitation International Environmental Treaty Law State Responsibility in Marine Pollution
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Prof. Dr. Akihiko Kondo

Vice President and Professor of Chemical Biology and Metabolic Engineering · Graduate School of Science, Technology and Innovation

Prof. Dr. Akihiko Kondo is a pioneer in cell surface display technology and synthetic biology, engineering microbial cell factories to produce carbon-neutral biofuels and biopharmaceuticals from lignocellulosic biomass.

Cell Surface Display Technology Synthetic Biology for Biofuel Synthesis Metabolic Pathway Engineering in Yeast CRISPR Functional Genomics
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Editorial review and verification

University profile compiled from official Kobe University - Rokkodai Main Campus academic bulletins and institutional directories reviewed on 2026-10-16. OpenField is an independent research guide.