Takushoku University

Originally, Takushoku University was named the Taiwan Association School,^[4] and was founded to produce graduates to contribute to the development of Taiwan. In 1907, it was renamed the Oriental Association Vocational School.^[4] In 1918, it adopted its present name of Takushoku University.^[4] Literally, "Takushoku" means "development and industrialization" as well as "colonization", because Japan had overseas colonies like Taiwan, South Sakhalin, and Korea and was entrusted with South Pacific Islands to industrialize at that time.

Takushoku University as a unique colonial institute made itself one of the best private universities in Japan after Imperial Universities such as Tokyo University till the end of World War II. It supported a pacifist position by appointing General Kazushige Ugaki as its Chancellor, who opposed the military expansionist Imperial Way Faction, and then Hiroshi Shimomura, who was the president of Cabinet Intelligence Bureau leading the Hirohito surrender broadcast. An affiliated judo master Tatsukuma Ushijima and his disciple Masahiko Kimura of the university even planned to assassinate the prime and military minister Hideki Tojo in 1941.

After the war, Japan gave up its colonies, and the university changed its name to Kōryō University (紅陵大学, Kōryō Daigaku). It was led by Torajiro Takagaki, the president of Japan association of monetary economics. In 1952, it reverted to its traditional name. Many graduates went to Brazil as well as Indonesia and other South Asian countries in the 1960s and 70s.

In the 1970s and 80s it expanded its campus into Hachioji and established two more faculties. In 2001, it celebrated its 100-year anniversary in presence of Emperor Akihito. It opened another faculty for world development and international security in Hachioji. Realizing SDGs (sustainable development goals) is its mission in the 21st century.

Takushoku University is a leading university in the study of national security in Japan.^[2][3] Takushoku University is also one of the few universities in Japan with an institute for studying geopolitics for international relations and security.

Margaret Thatcher received her honorary doctorate degree at this university.^[5]

The Faculty of Political Science and Economics is the third oldest in the country after Waseda and Meiji universities.

Takushoku University was responsible for training many of Japanese local and colonial administrators as well as overseas merchants. Several of these people who were karateka (practitioners of karate) took up administrative positions in the Japan Karate Association when it was founded in 1949.^[6] The university's karate club was founded around 1924^[7] and has produced many prominent karate instructors and competitors. The university also has a judo program, which produced a second-place result in a 1967 Japanese collegiate competition.^[8] The athletics club was founded in 1921.^[9] It has participated in the Hakone Ekiden 42 times as of 2021.^[10]