, abbreviated as , is a

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...

research university in Japan. Its predecessor, Nihon Law School (currently the Department of Law), was founded by Yamada Akiyoshi, the Minister of Justice, in 1889. It is one of Japan's leading

private universities Private universities and private colleges are institutions of higher education, not operated, owned, or institutionally funded by governments. They may (and often do) receive from governments tax breaks, public student loans, and grant (money ...

. The university's name is derived from the Japanese word "Nihon" meaning Japan. Nihon University now has "16 colleges and 87 departments, 20 postgraduate schools, 1 junior college which is composed of 5 departments, 1 correspondence division, 32 research institutes and 3 hospitals." The number of students exceeds 70,000 and is the largest in Japan.

University profile

Most of the university's campuses are in the

Kantō region The is a geographical area of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. In a common definition, the region includes the Greater Tokyo Area and encompasses seven prefectures: Gunma, Tochigi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. Slight ...

, the vast majority in Tokyo or surrounding areas, although two campuses are as far away from Tokyo as

Shizuoka Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Shizuoka Prefecture has a population of 3,637,998 and has a geographic area of . Shizuoka Prefecture borders Kanagawa Prefecture to the east, Yamanashi Prefecture to the northea ...

and

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

. These campuses mostly accommodate single colleges or schools ( in Japanese). In December 2016 the university acquired the former

Newcastle Court House The Newcastle Court House is a heritage-listed former court house located at 9 Church Street, Newcastle, City of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia. It is now owned by Nihon University. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Regis ...

in , New South Wales,

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, for 6.6 million as its inaugural international campus. The university comprises a federation of colleges and institutes known for having produced numerous CEOs of Japanese companies. The College of Art (日芸 — ''Nichigei''), located right next to Ekoda train station in Tokyo's Nerima ward, is well-known as it produces many artists who represent Japan in photography, theater, and cinema. In addition, the university has over 20 affiliated high schools bearing its name across Japan, from which a significant number of students go on to study at the institution as undergraduates.

Faculties and graduate schools