Otaru University of Commerce

The Otaru University of Commerce is located in a historic city that was once a commercial center in Hokkaido's pioneering era and one of Japan's leading ports. The university was established in this city to support the development of international trade. It has kept its fame during its history of ninety years because of its academic achievement and distinguished graduates, having noted that, "there is a star in the north, it is small, but the light is brilliant." As the lyric shows, the university's size has been kept small to make possible close interaction between students and academic staff. Its academic education has always emphasized its connection between practice and an international view since its establishment. It has produced many alumni who have become leading figures in various fields.
Your university time is one of the most critical stages of life. The rich experience will become a precious asset for a leader in a quickly changing world where you continuously have to face decision making with no prior experience. A steady academic background and an intercultural view nurtured at the Otaru University of Commerce will help your decision making based on objective analysis.
The Otaru University of Commerce is and has been a center of social sciences and human arts in Japan's north district. Reflecting its history that it was established as a higher commercial school, the university has emphasized the connection of theory to application, not to mention a solid academic foundation. Its strength in the field of foreign language education is one of the consequences of this practical attitude. Both in business and academic activities, fluency in foreign languages is critically essential.
The size of the Otaru University of Commerce has been kept small, which enables close communication within its academic community. Students can also receive benefits from a relatively high number of professors. The number of students' ratio to the number of faculty is at the lowest in Japan. Each student at the Otaru University of Commerce has twice or even five times more academic staff than students at private universities in the Tokyo area.
This close connection continues after graduation. The alumni society's solid foundation contributes to their business activities, students' academic activities, and the university.
Our International Center offers international exchanges, full administrative support for incoming and outgoing students, and support for faculty and staff going abroad.
Among the services we provide is a tutoring system for our international students. Our office assigns one student volunteer to each incoming exchange student for person-to-person support in academics and student life, providing a smooth transition into the university and Otaru city. We also offer our International Lounge, where both international and local students can socialize to better understand each other's language and culture.
Currently, we have approximately 80students (5% of our total enrollment) from all over the world, and we would warmly welcome your arrival. You will not want to miss this excellent opportunity to study at the Otaru University of Commerce, where you can develop the skills needed for success. Being a student is an advantage in life, and we welcome each of you who takes this advantage in traveling and studying in Japan as your heart opens to each new challenge.