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The History of Hiroshima University

History before Foundation of Hiroshima University

Under the National School Establishment Law, Hiroshima University was established on May 31, 1949. After World War II, the school system in Japan was entirely reformed and each of the institutions of higher education under the pre-war system was reorganized. As a general rule, one national university was established in each prefecture, and Hiroshima University became a national university under the new system by combining the various pre-war higher educational institutions in Hiroshima Prefecture.

The new university combined eight component institutions: Hiroshima University of Literature and Science, Hiroshima Higher Normal School, Hiroshima Normal School, Hiroshima Women's Higher Normal School, Hiroshima Young Men's Normal School, Hiroshima High School, Hiroshima Higher Technical School, and Hiroshima Municipal Higher Technical School. Later in 1953, the Hiroshima Prefectural Medical University was also added to the new Hiroshima University. *

Some of these educational institutions already had brilliant traditions and histories of their own. Above all, Hiroshima Higher Normal School, founded in 1902, had a distinguished place as one of the nation's two centers for training middle school teachers. The Hiroshima University of Literature and Science was founded in 1929 as one of the national universities, and in combination with the Hiroshima Higher Normal School which was formerly affiliated to it, reigned over the Japanese world of education.

The present Hiroshima University, which was created from these two institutions as well as three other "old-system" training institutions for teachers, continues to hold an important position among the universities and colleges of education in Japan. Also, Hiroshima Higher Technical School, which has introduced a large number of talented people into the world of Japanese industry, was founded in 1920 and was promoted to a Technical College (Senmon Gakko) in 1944. Hiroshima High School was founded in 1923 as one of the pre-war higher schools which prepared students for Imperial Universities and other government-supported universities. Although these educational institutions suffered a great deal of damage due to the atomic bomb which was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, they were reconstructed and combined to become the new Hiroshima University. In addition, Graduate Schools were established in 1953. The new Hiroshima University has risen from the ruins of war like a phoenix, which is in fact the University's symbol.

Since its foundation, Hiroshima University has strived to become one of the most prominent and comprehensive universities in Japan for the promotion and development of scholarship and education. In 1969, however, there was a campus dispute. This kind of dispute was not merely confined to Japan. Disputes were seen on many campuses throughout the world. Stimulated by this turmoil, Hiroshima University made various plans for reform, one of which was a scheme for moving the campuses to a single site. Hiroshima University was founded by combining several colleges, in various parts of Hiroshima prefecture. Originally, the available space for each of these campuses had been quite restricted and had discouraged the full realization of growth and planning for research and education. In order to overcome these in-conveniences and to promote new growth, the senate and administration of Hiroshima University decided in February 1973 to move most of these scattered faculties to a new site (approximately 250 hectares in the Kagamiyama District of Higashi-Hiroshima City, 35 kilometers east from the Higashi Senda campus).

By March 1995 as planned, nine faculties had moved to the new campus, leaving the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Dentistry in Hiroshima City.

At present, Hiroshima University has eleven Schools: for details, please see this page.

There are ten Graduate Schools with master's and/or doctoral degree courses: for details, please see this page.

The Research Institute for Nuclear Medicine and Biology was an institute attached to the University, and was established in 1961 for the purpose of studying theories and prophylactic measures relevant to nuclear radioactivity of the atomic bomb and the practical application of these theories to about 110,000 survivors living in Hiroshima. This institute was reorganized and renamed the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine in June 1994.

Common facilities for research and education include the following institutes and centers: the Research Institute for Higher Education, the Information Media Center, the International Student Center, the Center for Technology Research and Development, the Research Center for Nanodevices and Systems, the Hiroshima Synchrotron Radiation Center, the Center for the Study of International Cooperation in Education, the Health Service Center, the Institute for Peace Science, the Institute for Waste Waters Treatment, the Research Center for Regional Geography, the Venture Business Laboratory, the Student Job Placement Center, the Information Exchange Office, the Admission Center, the Center for Business Incubation, the Office of International Affairs, the Peer Support Room, The Natural Science Center for Basic Research and Development and the Beijing Research Center, and other facilities have been newly established. For details, please see this page.

Other research facilities and institutions are: the Research Institute of Early Childhood Education; the Center for School Education Research and Development and the Center of Special Education Research and Practice attached to the Faculty of Education; the Research Center for Regional Economics, attached to the Faculty of Economics; the Marine Biological Laboratory, the Miyajima Natural Botanical Garden, the Laboratory for Amphibian Biology and the Laboratory of Plant Chromosome and Gene Stock, attached to the Graduate School of Science; the University Medical Hospital, the Experimental Station of Medicinal Plants, the Research Facilities for Laboratory Animal Science, the Research Institute of Replacement Medicine and the Research Center for Molecular Medicine, attached to the Faculty of Medicine; the University Dental Hospital, the School for Dental Hygienists and Dental Technicians School attached to the Faculty of Dentistry; the University Farm, the Training and Research Vessel "Toyoshio-maru" and the Fisheries Laboratory attached to the Faculty of Applied Biological Science; and, there are two kindergartens, three primary schools, four junior high schools and two senior high schools are attached to the University.

* Those schools listed that were based on university's brochure published in 2002. These original names were found in the Hiroshima University Archives. These names have since been revised as of November 1, 2011.

This page was reviewed and revised on June 29, 2010 and on November 28, 2011.