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Hokkaido International School opened as Hokkaido American School in 1958 when the local US military school, Camp Crawford U. S. Army Dependents School, closed. The school started with 12 children from five missionary families who were left without a school. In 1962, the school changed its name to its present name, Hokkaido International School, and moved to its new campus in Fukuzumi. Students selected the school mascot, the Husky, as well as the school colors, Kelly green, and white. The gymnasium was completed in 1965 with help from the US government. In 1968, the Hokkaido Government granted accreditation, and by the early 1970s enrollment was up to 70 students. In 1982, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted HIS accreditation. In 1988, the school added a high school program by enrolling one grade per year beginning with the 10th grade. Grades 10-12 were added to the WASC accreditation in 1992. In the early 1990s, HIS, with the cooperation and assistance of the city of Sapporo and the prefecture of Hokkaido, developed plans for a new school to be constructed in Hiragishi, and the school moved to its new and present facility in the fall of 1995, with an enrollment of approximately 120 students. The new campus also included a dormitory to house 20 students. HIS celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2008 with an enrollment of 200 students from over twenty countries, and a full and part-time faculty of 25 from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Peru, and Japan. While the school has grown, it continues its mission to provide international families with an education for their students that will prepare them for study at college and university as well as future stewardship of the ever-changing world. HIS has 18 full-time and 13 part-time teachers, Pre K-12. The upper school has 13 teachers, 6 of whom share time in elementary. Teachers on staff come from the USA, Canada, Australia, Peru, Bulgaria, and Japan. Of the secondary staff, 70% have advanced degrees. The student/Teacher ratio in the upper school is approximately 10:1 and the class size average is about 17 pupils per class. The HIS school year is 180 days long and is divided into semesters. HIS follows a rotational, A-day B-day block schedule with 4 blocks on each day. The school year begins in mid-August and ends in mid-June with a one-week fall break in October, a three-week winter break in December/ January, and a one-week spring break in March. HIS' curriculum begins in the Early Years (ages 3 & 4) with a Reggio Emilia-inspired classroom where children, through teacher-guided "provocations" inspire students to curiosity, creative play, expression, and questioning. At the elementary level, the core of the curriculum is defined by the International Primary Curriculum. The middle school follows the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC). At the high school level, HIS offers a Western-style, college-preparatory curriculum culminating in AP offerings in Calculus, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, European History, US History, Comparative Government, Studio Art, English Language, and Literature, and Japanese. From 2012-2013 HIS is offering outdoor education as an option in its high school program. The Early Years multiage program at Hokkaido International School is for children ages 3 and 4. The program is built on a foundation of understanding the cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development of young children. We understand that the whole child must be nurtured. This is done by providing an environment that is child-centered, experiential, stimulating, creative, and flexible. Activities are designed to offer children opportunities to explore, experiment, and discover with hands-on materials. The multi-age learning environment, climate, and activities encourage students to develop confidence, skills, and attitudes that will benefit them throughout their lives. Elementary instruction at HIS follows the IPC (International Primary Curriculum). The IPC was developed in 2000 as a cross-curricular thematic curriculum to meet the needs of international schools around the world. As of 2012, it is being used in more than 1,000 schools in 100 different countries. HIS has been an IPC member school since 2005. The central purpose of everything connected with the IPC is student learning. Helping children develop academically, socially, and emotionally through a focus on learning is the core goal of this curriculum. The curriculum takes into account the most recent research on the brain and how children learn. Hokkaido International School’s commitment to multi-age instruction continues in the middle school years. Students entering 6th, 7th, and 8th in the 2012-2013 school year will be taught in multiage classes through integrated units of the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC), the follow-on curriculum from the International Primary Curriculum, which HIS has successfully used at the elementary level since 2005. The IMYC was developed specifically to meet the learning needs of middle school students (ages 11 - 14) and therefore fits perfectly with our school’s multiage approach to learning. Ninth and tenth-grade students have three areas from which to select electives: languages, arts, media our outdoor Ed. If they are still developing their English language skills and the ELL director recommends it, they must continue in English Language Learning (ELL). If they are not enrolled in ELL they may choose the Japanese language or they may take Spanish. The other two electives can be chosen from the following visual art, choir, instrumental music, jazz band, music theory, drama, outdoor pursuits, or media and publications! View full school

The Hokkaido University of Education made a new departure as a unique university firmly rooted in the regional society that combines both the arts-science assimilated type of academic research on human and region. Consequently, the faculty members and the university hope to contribute to Hokkaido's regional society and the international society by training talented individuals to lead the regional society in the 21st century. Under the slogan "The Hokkaido University of Education where people foster people", we aim to become "a university that trains students" as a "university of education", or in other words, firmly grounded on education. A university with the confidence that students will grow and "a university where students, staff, and faculty members respect each other". Most importantly, we aim to become "a university that the people of the local and regional society can trust and depend upon". Educational activities begin with a perpetual interest in and enthusiasm for the development of human beings. Given our in-depth and advanced knowledge of modern-day human beings and children and our experience-based methods, we continuously foster students' awareness of the joy and honor of educating people. The society and education process of the twenty-first century require individuals with an integrated knowledge of science and humanities and flexibility in active interaction and coexistence. Therefore, it is essential to help students develop a strong personality and enhance their capabilities of interacting with society through varied practices and experiences in all fields, including arts and sports. We use the slogan "Creative and Active Liberal Education" to provide a modern liberal education. In the field of education, it is essential to have a strong motivation for striving for others. In modern times, teachers must have a sensibility that enables them to understand children's difficulties and sympathize with them as though the difficulties are their own. They are also required to have a strong motivation for addressing various current issues in the local and world communities. Thus, we aim at the cultivation of motivation at all levels of our educational activities. View full university

Hokkaido University is a leading comprehensive university that places importance on its graduate schools. The university started in 1876 as the Sapporo Agricultural College, the first modern academic institute in Japan. During its long history, the college was promoted to an Imperial University and then flourished after creating the new university system. Over this period, we have declared and cultivated our basic philosophies of education and research, namely the “Frontier Spirit,” “Global Perspectives,” “All-round Education,” and “Practical Learning.” In order to meet the demands of society and to move ahead as a part of the National University Corporation, Hokkaido University needs to formulate a long term goal for developing the basis of knowledge generation, dissemination, and application in the new century while still reconfirming our fundamental philosophies and recognizing our accountability to society. The phenomena and changes associated with humans, society, and nature, occur against backdrops involving a myriad of diverse conditions. The complexity of these advances cannot be “unlocked,” mainly when they are closely interconnected. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to study or solve such problems in the context of conventional learning because circumstances can change quickly and drastically. Coping with this reality requires an inquisitive mind willing to investigate, understand, and unravel the underlying nature and causes of changes and occurrences. In short, individuals need both the ability to think and act autonomously. “To think” is to question the existing values and methods and to change or even destroy them if necessary. To honestly think, in other words, one cannot be bound by convention. Universities are unique because they are places where one can freely engage in the act of thinking. In the over 140 years since the 1876 founding of its predecessor, the Sapporo Agricultural College, Hokkaido University has helped students awaken their autonomy and independence. This is achieved by encouraging them to venture into unexplored areas of learning to develop an international mindset and flexible approach to diversity to cultivate themselves in a broad range of areas that will help build character and to pursue meaningful research so they can grasp the essence of things and use their learning for practical purposes. Following in the spirit of its founding, Hokkaido University strives to be a place where all students can find and foster their innate potential and grasp what their real talents are, so they can develop the ability to think and foster an independent spirit to take on the challenges of the future. Education at Hokkaido University is guided by four basic philosophies: “Frontier Spirit,” “Global Perspectives,” “All-round Education,” and “Practical Learning.” These four guiding principles have been cultivated throughout the institution’s long history, which dates back to 1876 – the year its predecessor, Sapporo Agricultural College, was established. Against this backdrop, the university aims to play a steady role as a global center for education and research. We aim to establish a university open to anyone worldwide, a world-class educational system and strive to continue expanding the depths of our knowledge and its application/utilization. Finally, we work towards strengthening our university’s operations. We develop international quality curricula so that students may be given an outstanding all-round education and acquire global perspectives. For undergraduate courses, there is more of an emphasis on improving the liberal arts education they receive to become talented as global citizens. We focus on developing world-class research programs to push our knowledge boundaries and contribute to the sustainable development of humanity and society. At the same time, each student and staff member of the university retains academic freedom and independence to research. Our goals are based on the two concepts of practical learning and the Frontier Spirit. We base our goals on these concepts to return the fruits of research to society and let each student and staff member tackle contemporary issues while laying out the future path. As a national university, we will positively promote partnerships between universities and industry based on our world-class, leading-edge, and trans-disciplinary research and education. We will serve as a bridge to the world for local communities and industrial agencies. We will establish the structure necessary to address domestic and overseas challenges promptly and appropriately. We will also promote autonomous top management to fulfill our educational, research, and social goals. It takes tremendous courage – in addition to an independent mind and autonomous spirit – to venture into an untrodden field. “Boys, be ambitious,” exhorted William S. Clark, the first vice-principal of Sapporo Agricultural College, when he departed Sapporo after a short, 8-month stay. In keeping with the Frontier Spirit espoused by Dr. Clark, I would like to make Hokkaido University an educational hub where students and faculty work together to intensely learn and create new wisdom – with the ultimate goal of solving the world’s problems and contributing to the happiness of humanity through a spirit of independence and autonomy. View full university

Hokkaido Information University was founded in 1989 by Dr. Saburo Matsuo, a pioneer of information education in Japan, to create a new university and new academic fields for an information-oriented society. A proliferation of international information systems heralded the dawning of the information-oriented society. At HIU, where we have incorporated "Information" as part of our school name, our mission can be summed up as follows: "In the spirit of academia-industry cooperation, we seek to nurture advanced information and communication technology professionals, instilling them with an understanding of the value of internationalization, cultivating their innovation and sense of humanity, and ensuring they are capable of contributing to the development of our information-oriented society through a specialized education based on solid practical groundwork." Surrounded by the rich natural environment of Nopporo Primeval Forest, a symbol of the development of Hokkaido, the university's campus is a place for innovative research and education, and it provides learning opportunities for students across the country via advanced correspondence education. To contribute to the development of our IT-oriented society as a university designed to expand the scope of information application, we aim to fulfill the functions shown below: To nurture highly-skilled information specialists To be a base for correspondence education on information To provide liberal arts education that develops an international awareness and a rich sense of humanity To be a base of regional contribution and academic-industrial collaboration The 21st-century society is reliant upon information technology. Accordingly, HIU's education focuses on developing the necessary IT skills, techniques, and knowledge to produce IT professionals who are indispensable in tomorrow's increasingly information-oriented society. This core education is supported by the cultivation of broad background knowledge and a variety of specialized fields. We also focus on developing international awareness and the skills required for the era of internationalized information and broad knowledge, which will allow the creation of value-added information and personal qualities such as sensitivity, morals, and communicative abilities. A motivated education will foster a lifetime of self-directed learning. Practical education will encourage students to master useful, advanced information technologies and gain specialized knowledge. Human-oriented education will foster a sense of global values and morals while engendering a richness of spirit. Awareness and the ability to confidently express oneself will provide reliable communication and presentation skills. A focus on problem-identification and problem-solving skills will allow students to identify problems and use their knowledge to develop solutions independently. A comprehensive education will allow students to acquire knowledge and develop the wisdom required to live fruitful lives. View full university

In 1974, our university was established on an educational ideal that aimed to combine knowledge, virtue, and physical wellbeing. This year, we celebrated our 42nd anniversary. We, "the northern base for fostering new health professionals," are a medical university devoted to nurturing specialists' social mission for regional healthcare. Our university comprises five faculties and graduate schools, including the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Dentistry, School of Nursing & Social Services, School of Psychological Science, and School of Rehabilitation Science, which is at last entirely constructed after four years, as well as the Dental Hygienist School affiliated with the School of Dentistry. We now have approximately 3,500 active students, faculty, and staff members on our three campuses in Tobetsu and Ainosato and Downtown Sapporo (ACU, Satellite Campus in Asty45). The main campus is located in the Tobetsu countryside set against a backdrop of rich green hills, and it overlooks the vast Ishikari Plain. An urban facility with modern equipment in such luxurious natural surroundings. Our university is indeed the ideal ground for higher education, unlike that offered by the University of Cambridge in the UK or the Ivy League colleges in the US. Today, universities face strong demand for professionals to respond to the various needs of our society. Our university is highly regarded by the outside community and has received outstanding commendations for its regional contributions among all medical universities nationwide. These accolades could be earned because of our alumni's tireless efforts, who number around 19,000 today. Students at the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido must pass qualification exams, such as the state examination, before graduation. The great environment provided by our university also encourages club or volunteer activities besides academic pursuits. Everything is so enjoyable here that what may seem at first like a long wait before the completion of a course or graduation goes by in the blink of an eye. As the highest authority at this university, We bear the enormous responsibility of helping each student find their way of life in the few years that they are enrolled here. Thus, it is fortunate that Hokkaido is a glorious land, blessed with the four seasons' beauties. The University library possesses over 210,000 copies of books, journals, periodicals, and audio-visual materials. A variety of reference services are available by the utilization of online investigation and the Internet. By providing the best education in a land privileged by the changing seasons, our students will find fulfillment in both academic and campus life, and this, We are confident, is what makes the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido a future Mecca for hopeful elites, a place all medical professionals will aspire to attend. This is also one of my main goals. Our university will soon have a sizeable affiliated hospital in Sapporo, where plans for more comprehensive clinical training for our students are also ongoing. With this in mind, we would like to extend our warmest welcome to all aspiring medical professionals to join the Health Sciences University of Hokkaido as we continue to thrive as "the northern base for fostering new health professionals." View full university