OpenFieldSapporo Gakuin University (SGU) is a comprehensive private liberal arts, business, and psychology university in Hokkaido, operating modern campuses in Ebetsu and Shin-Sapporo with strong community-engaged research in northern regional economics.
Founded in 1946 in post-war Hokkaido, SGU has expanded across its verdant Ebetsu campus and its cutting-edge Shin-Sapporo urban campus. The university is organized into five faculties: Business Administration, Economics, Humanities, Law, and Psychology. SGU is celebrated for regional revitalization research, clinical counseling psychology, Indigenous Ainu culture studies, and international exchange partnerships across East Asia and North America.
Undergraduate admissions for international applicants involve the EJU examination or SGU international entrance exam, including an essay in Japanese and personal interview. Graduate programs require a completed 16-year bachelor's degree, comprehensive research proposal (1,500-2,000 words in Japanese), transcripts, and oral examination. Applicants generally require JLPT N2 or N1 for Japanese-taught tracks.
Research master's analyzing agricultural supply chains in Hokkaido, cold-region renewable energy economics, demographic aging in northern towns, and tourism revitalization.
First-class designated graduate training center qualifying graduates for the Japanese Certified Public Psychologist (Kounin Shinrishi) and Clinical Psychologist state examinations.
Four-year business curriculum at the modern Shin-Sapporo campus focusing on e-commerce, consumer behavior, brand management, and corporate financial accounting.
Applied legal studies degree preparing students for administrative civil service, local governance, environmental legislation, and commercial contract arbitration.
Institutional scholarship celebrating international scholars who achieve superior grades and foster cultural exchange between domestic students and foreign scholars.
Six-month research fellowship supporting scholars studying circumpolar Indigenous cultures, Ainu linguistic revitalization, northern folklore, and oral ethnographic traditions.
Professor of Regional Economics and Hokkaido Agribusiness · Faculty of Economics
Prof. Takahashi analyzes structural adjustments in Hokkaido's commercial dairy farming and policy mechanisms to revitalize depopulated agricultural towns in northern Japan.
View research profile ↗Professor of Clinical Psychology and Child Development · Faculty of Psychology & Psychological Center
Prof. Narita investigates psychological intervention frameworks for school refusal in Japanese primary and secondary schools, focusing on play therapy and family systems.
View research profile ↗Professor of Commercial and Corporate Law · Faculty of Law
Prof. Sato examines Japanese corporate governance reforms, duties of independent directors, and restructuring legal processes for medium-sized regional businesses.
View research profile ↗University profile compiled from official Sapporo Gakuin University academic bulletins and institutional directories reviewed on 2026-10-15. OpenField is an independent research guide.