Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University

Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, commonly known as APU, is a private international university in the city of Beppu on the island of Kyushu, in Oita Prefecture, Japan.立命馆亚洲太平洋大学（Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University）通称 APU，是一所位于日本九州大分县别府市的私立国际化大学。

It was founded in April 2000 through a public-private partnership between Oita Prefecture, the city of Beppu, and the Ritsumeikan Trust, and it forms part of the Ritsumeikan academy alongside Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto.该校于 2000 年 4 月由大分县、别府市与学校法人立命馆公私合作创办，与京都的立命馆大学同属立命馆学园体系。

About 6,700 students study at APU, of whom roughly half are international, drawn from 122 countries and regions as of June 2026, and in the QS World University Rankings 2027 the university is placed in the 1001-1200 band.该校约有 6700 名学生，其中近半数为国际学生，截至 2026 年 6 月来自 122 个国家和地区，在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中位列第 1001-1200 位。

History

• APU traces its origins to the early 1990s, when the then governor of Oita Prefecture, Morihiko Hiramatsu, raised with the chancellor of the Ritsumeikan Trust in Kyoto the idea of building an international university in the city of Beppu.立命馆亚洲太平洋大学的缘起可追溯至 1990 年代初，当时大分县知事平松守彦与京都学校法人立命馆的理事长共同提出了在别府市创办一所国际化大学的构想。

• In September 1995 Oita Prefecture, the city of Beppu and the Ritsumeikan Trust announced their intention to establish the university, and a preparatory committee was set up the following month.1995 年 9 月，大分县、别府市与学校法人立命馆宣布筹设该校，并于次月设立了筹备委员会。

• In October 1996 the name Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University was formally adopted, and in July of that year the Ritsumeikan Center for Asia Pacific Studies had already been founded as a research base for the project.1996 年 10 月，立命馆亚洲太平洋大学这一校名被正式确定，同年 7 月立命馆亚太研究中心已先行设立，作为该项目的学术基地。

• In April 1997 the three founding partners signed a basic agreement for the establishment of the university, and preparatory construction work on the site began that October.1997 年 4 月，三方创办者签署了建校基本协定，同年 10 月校区筹备施工启动。

• The ground-breaking ceremony for the campus at Jumonjibaru, on high ground north of Beppu, was held in August 1998, and approval procedures with the Ministry of Education began the following month.1998 年 8 月，位于别府以北高地的十文字原校区举行了动工仪式，次月与文部省之间的设立审批程序随之启动。

• The establishment of APU received formal approval from the Ministry of Education in December 1999, and Kazuichi Sakamoto became the university's inaugural president in January 2000.1999 年 12 月，该校的设立获文部省正式批准，坂本和一于 2000 年 1 月出任创校校长。

• The university officially opened in April 2000 with its first entrance ceremony, and an opening ceremony and opening festival followed in May 2000.该校于 2000 年 4 月正式开学并举行首届入学典礼，2000 年 5 月的开校典礼与开校节随后举行。

• The first APU Festival, the university's student cultural festival, was held in November 2000, and the AP House 2 residential building was completed in September 2001.2000 年 11 月举办了首届 APU 节这一学生文化节，2001 年 9 月 AP House 2 宿舍楼竣工。

• APU is a member of the Ritsumeikan Trust, an educational foundation that also operates Ritsumeikan University with campuses in Kyoto and at Lake Biwa, as well as schools across Japan.该校隶属于学校法人立命馆这一教育财团，该财团同时运营着在京都与琵琶湖畔设有校区的立命馆大学，以及遍布日本各地的学校。

• The university was founded on the ideals of freedom, peace and humanity, international mutual understanding, and the future shape of the Asia Pacific region, set out in the Declaration on the Occasion of the Opening of APU.该校以自由、和平与人本、国际相互理解，以及塑造亚太地区未来为立校理念，这些理念载于《开校之际的宣言》。

• A chief proponent of the concept and design of the university was Professor Makitaro Hotta, who worked alongside the Oita leadership to realise the project in Beppu.该校构想与设计的主要倡导者是堀田牧太郎教授，他与大分方面的负责人携手推动项目在别府落地。

• APU's English tagline Shape Your World was created in 2008 to evoke the image of students coming from around the world to shape themselves and the world.该校在 2008 年提出了 Shape Your World 这一英文标语，寓意来自世界各地的学生在此塑造自我并改变世界。

• Monte Cassim served as president from April 2004 to December 2009, Shun Korenaga from January 2010 to December 2017, and Haruaki Deguchi from January 2018 to December 2023.蒙特·卡西姆于 2004 年 4 月至 2009 年 12 月任校长，是永俊于 2010 年 1 月至 2017 年 12 月任校长，出口治明于 2018 年 1 月至 2023 年 12 月任校长。

• Hiroshi Yoneyama, a scholar who had been the university's vice-president since April 2020, was inaugurated as the fifth president of APU on 1 January 2024.米山宏于 2024 年 1 月 1 日就任该校第五任校长，他自 2020 年 4 月起担任副校长。

• The College of Sustainability and Tourism was added as the university's third undergraduate college, taking its first students from the academic year beginning in 2023.可持续发展与旅游学院作为该校第三个本科学院于 2023 学年起招收首批学生。

• In the 2020s the university maintained overseas offices in South Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Canada and Vietnam, and a liaison office based at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.进入 2020 年代，该校维持着在韩国、台湾、印尼、泰国、加拿大与越南的海外办事处，并在上海交通大学设有联络办公室。

• A one-to-one ratio of domestic and international students has been central to the university's identity since its founding in 2000, a feature that set it apart from most other Japanese universities.自 2000 年创校以来，本国学生与国际学生一比一的比例一直是该校的核心标识，使其有别于日本多数其他大学。

• By mid-2026 APU had welcomed students from 170 countries and regions over its history, with 122 nationalities represented on campus at that time.到 2026 年中期，该校历史上累计迎来过 170 个国家和地区的学生，当时校园内有 122 个国籍的学生在读。

• Over its first quarter-century the university grew from a single founding cohort into a community of several thousand students, with 2,809 full-time undergraduate international students recorded in the 2027 Asahi university guide.在其首个四分之一世纪里，该校从首届一个年级成长为数千人的学生社区，2027 年朝日新闻大学指南记载其时全日制本科国际学生达 2809 人。

• The university has repeatedly been recognised as leading Japanese universities in the ratio of international students, a position it also held in the QS World University Rankings 2027.该校多次被认定为日本高校中留学生比例最高者，在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中同样保持这一地位。

Academics

• APU is organised into three undergraduate colleges, namely the College of Asia Pacific Studies, the College of International Management, and the College of Sustainability and Tourism, the last established in 2023.该校设三个本科学院，即亚洲太平洋学院、国际经营学院，以及 2023 年新设的可持续发展与旅游学院。

• The College of Asia Pacific Studies offers four areas of study, namely Environment and Development, Hospitality and Tourism, International Relations and Peace Studies, and Culture, Society and Media.亚洲太平洋学院设有四个专业方向，即环境与发展、酒店与旅游、国际关系与和平研究，以及文化、社会与媒体。

• The College of International Management is organised into four fields of study, namely Accounting and Finance, Marketing, Strategic Management and Organisation, and Innovation and Economics.国际经营学院设有四个专业领域，即会计与金融、市场营销、战略管理与组织，以及创新与经济学。

• Postgraduate study is offered through the Graduate School of Asia Pacific Studies and the Graduate School of Management, whose programmes are conducted exclusively in English.研究生教育由亚洲太平洋研究科与经营学研究科承担，其课程全部以英语授课。

• The university runs a bilingual education system in English and Japanese, and about half of its teaching staff are non-Japanese nationals coming from more than 30 countries and regions.该校实施英日双语教育体系，其教师中约半数为来自 30 多个国家和地区的非日本籍人士。

• In their first two years students study foundational subjects in their standard language, English or Japanese, while acquiring the other language as well.学生在头两年以英语或日语中的母语开展基础教育，同时学习另一门语言。

• By their third and fourth years students are expected to be able to receive specialist education in both Japanese and English, and class materials and guidance are provided in both languages.到第三与第四年，学生应能以日语和英语双语接受专业教育，课堂材料与指导均以两种语言提供。

• The Center for Language Education offers six Asia-Pacific languages, called the AP languages, namely Chinese, Korean, Malay and Indonesian, Spanish, Thai, and Vietnamese, taught from introductory to advanced level.语言教育中心开设六种亚太地区语言，称为 AP 语言，即中文、韩语、马来语与印尼语、西班牙语、泰语和越南语，教学覆盖入门到高级水平。

• Teaching is organised on a semester basis, and each semester is divided into two quarters of seven weeks, so that most classes at APU operate on a quarter system.教学按学期组织，每个学期再分为两个七周的学季，因此该校多数课程采用学季制。

• Unlike many other universities in Japan, APU enrols and graduates students twice a year, in spring and autumn, allowing more flexible routes of entry and completion.与日本许多其他大学不同，该校每年春秋两季各招生与毕业一次，提供了更灵活的入学与结业路径。

• Undergraduate students select their own classes and are not restricted to those within their major, although the curriculum has been revised three times since the university was founded.本科生自行选课，并不局限于本专业课程，不过自创校以来其课程体系已经过三次修订。

• Between 2014 and 2018 about 46.7 per cent of APU's research publications were internationally co-authored, one of the highest rates among Japanese universities.2014 至 2018 年间，该校约 46.7% 的科研论文为国际合作署名，这一比例在日本高校中名列前茅。

• The university's business programmes hold accreditation from AACSB International, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, recognised as a mark of quality in management education.该校的商科项目获国际高等商学院协会（AACSB International）认证，被视为管理教育质量的标志。

• The university also offers special lecture subjects that change from semester to semester, alongside liberal arts subjects such as media studies, languages, and Japanese traditional arts.该校还开设逐学期更替的专题讲座课程，并设有媒体研究、语言及日本传统艺术等博雅科目。

• The university's measurable research output, as recorded by OpenAlex, comprises 2,285 scholarly works that together have attracted 30,274 citations.据 OpenAlex 收录，该校可量化的科研产出为 2285 篇学术著作，累计获得 30274 次被引。

Campus

• The university's main campus stands at Jumonjibaru on elevated ground north of the city of Beppu, in Oita Prefecture on the island of Kyushu in southern Japan.该校主校区位于日本南部九州岛大分县别府市以北高地上的十文字原。

• AP House, the university's on-campus residence, allows international students to live beside the campus during their first year while they learn the customs of daily life in Japan.校内宿舍 AP House 让国际学生在第一年住在校园旁，同时学习日本日常生活的习惯与习俗。

• AP House offers both single and shared rooms, provides shared facilities and borrowable items, and is supported on site by faculty, staff, and resident assistants recruited from the resident student body.AP House 提供单人房与合住房，配套共享设施与可借用物品，并由教师、职员及从住宿生中招募的住宿助理在舍内提供支持。

• Among the events organised in AP House are the Entrance Ceremony and Welcome Dinner Party and the AP House World Festival, which promote interaction between residents from different countries.AP House 组织的活动包括入住典礼与欢迎晚宴，以及 AP House 世界节，促进不同国家住宿生之间的交流。

• The university library holds paper and electronic media including academic databases, magazines, newspapers, textbooks and DVDs, and can request items from other Ritsumeikan campuses.该校图书馆收藏纸质与电子资源，包括学术数据库、期刊、报纸、教科书与影音光盘，并可向立命馆其他校区调借资料。

• Library services have been extended in recent years to include a writing centre and meeting spaces for collaborative work, reflecting the university's project and discussion based teaching style.近年图书馆服务有所拓展，增设了写作中心与协作学习会议空间，呼应该校以项目与讨论为主的教学方式。

• APU's campus lies on the outskirts of Beppu, a hot-spring city in Oita Prefecture known for its many thermal springs, giving students access to both a quiet study environment and the wider region of Kyushu.该校校园位于大分县温泉城市别府市郊，别府以众多温泉闻名，学生既可享有安静的学习环境，也可通达九州更广区域。

• The campus is recorded at coordinates of approximately 33.28 degrees north and 131.50 degrees east, and the university's official web presence is at apu.ac.jp.该校区坐标约为北纬 33.28 度、东经 131.50 度，学校官方网络门户为 apu.ac.jp。

Reputation

• In the QS World University Rankings 2027 Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is placed in the 1001-1200 band, a joint interval rather than a single numerical position.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，立命馆亚洲太平洋大学位列第 1001-1200 位的并列区间，而非单一数值名次。

• APU does not appear in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2027, and it is also not included in the 2026-2027 U.S. News Best Global Universities ranking or the 2026 Academic Ranking of World Universities.该校未进入 2027 年泰晤士高等教育世界大学排名，也未进入 2026-2027 年度 US News 全球最佳大学排名与 2026 年软科世界大学学术排名。

• In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 the university was placed at 101-150 in the world for Hospitality and Leisure Management, the only Japanese university ranked in that subject.在 2026 年 QS 世界大学学科排名中，该校的酒店与休闲管理位列全球第 101-150 位，是唯一进入该学科榜单的日本大学。

• In the QS World University Rankings 2027 APU was ranked second among private universities in western Japan and sixth among private universities in Japan.在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中，该校在日本西部私立大学中位列第二，在全日本私立大学中位列第六。

• In the Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings 2025 APU placed fourth among private universities nationwide and was the top private university in western Japan for the seventh consecutive year.在 2025 年泰晤士高等教育日本大学排名中，该校在全国私立大学中位列第四，并连续第七年成为日本西部排名最高的私立大学。

• In the same 2025 Japanese national table APU's overall position was 22nd, and it ranked second nationwide in the Environment category and third in Engagement.在同一份 2025 年日本国内榜单中，该校综合排名第 22 位，并在「环境」类别中位列全国第二、「参与度」类别中位列第三。

• In the 2027 Asahi Shimbun university guide APU ranked first among Japanese universities for the total number of full-time undergraduate international students, with 2,809 such students.在 2027 年朝日新闻大学指南中，该校以 2809 名全日制本科国际学生位居日本各大学之首。

• The university's measurable research output, as recorded by OpenAlex, consists of 2,285 works with 30,274 citations, a modest corpus that reflects its teaching-intensive and comparatively young profile.据 OpenAlex 收录，该校可量化科研产出为 2285 篇文献与 30274 次被引，这一规模相对有限，反映出其教学密集且建校较晚的特点。

• APU has consistently reported the highest ratio of international students among Japanese universities, a distinction it also held in the QS World University Rankings 2027.该校一直报告称其国际学生比例居日本各大学之首，这一优势在 2027 年 QS 世界大学排名中同样成立。

• The university's graduates are noted for strong employment outcomes, and the university markets its international bilingual education as preparation for careers in global business, government and civil society.该校毕业生以就业表现良好著称，校方将其国际化双语教育推介为通往全球商业、政府与公民社会职业的准备。

Student life

• APU has over 100 student organisations, known as clubs or circles, covering sports, academic research, the arts, and social and volunteer activities.该校有逾百个学生组织，称为社团或同好会，涵盖体育、学术研究、艺术以及社交与志愿活动。

• Students may join existing clubs or create new ones, and examples include APU Yosshakoi, a Japanese traditional dance group, PRENGO, a volunteer group, and the APU Wind Orchestra.学生既可加入既有社团也可自创社团，例子包括日本传统舞蹈团体 APU Yosshakoi、志愿团体 PRENGO，以及 APU 管乐团。

• Since 2015 the university has hosted the Global Business Case competition, an international contest in which student teams analyse real business problems.自 2015 年起该校举办全球商业案例竞赛，这是一项由学生团队剖析真实商业问题的国际赛事。

• The APU Festival, first held in November 2000, has become the university's principal student cultural festival, bringing together food, performances and displays from many cultures.首届于 2000 年 11 月举办的 APU 节，已成为该校主要的学生文化节，汇集来自多种文化的饮食、表演与展示。

• The university's housing and student-life services are designed around its multicultural community, with resident assistants supporting new students who live in AP House.该校的住宿与学生服务围绕其多元文化社区设计，由住宿助理为入住 AP House 的新生提供支持。

• Alumni gatherings are organised through a global network of APU alumni associations, which by 2015 numbered twenty-eight, including seven in Japan and twenty-one overseas.校友聚会通过 APU 全球校友会网络组织，到 2015 年该网络已有 28 个校友会，其中日本 7 个、海外 21 个。

• The university's students are drawn roughly half from Japan and half from other countries, giving everyday campus life an unusually international character among Japanese universities.该校学生约一半来自日本、一半来自其他国家，使日常校园生活在日本高校中呈现出少见的高度国际化色彩。

• The bilingual environment means that notices, guidance and everyday communication are provided in both Japanese and English, allowing students to function in either language on campus.双语环境意味着通知、指导与日常交流均以日语和英语同时提供，使学生在校园内可用任一语言自如生活。

Notable people

• Kazuichi Sakamoto was APU's inaugural president, serving from January 2000 to March 2004, and he oversaw the university's opening at Jumonjibaru.坂本和一是该校创校校长，任期为 2000 年 1 月至 2004 年 3 月，主持了学校在十文字原的开校工作。

• Monte Cassim, an academic leader, served as APU president from April 2004 to December 2009 and had earlier been a professor at the university.蒙特·卡西姆是一位学术领导者，于 2004 年 4 月至 2009 年 12 月任该校校长。

• Haruaki Deguchi, the university's fourth president, led APU from January 2018 to December 2023, a period that saw the addition of the College of Sustainability and Tourism.出口治明是该校第四任校长，任期为 2018 年 1 月至 2023 年 12 月，其间增设了可持续发展与旅游学院。

• Hiroshi Yoneyama became the fifth president of APU on 1 January 2024 after an international recruitment process, having previously served as the university's vice-president.米山宏经国际招聘程序后于 2024 年 1 月 1 日出任该校第五任校长，此前担任副校长。

• Morihiko Hiramatsu, the governor of Oita Prefecture in the early 1990s, was the political figure who first proposed the creation of an international university in Beppu.平松守彦是 1990 年代初的大分县知事，正是他最早提出了在别府创办一所国际化大学的主张。

• Professor Makitaro Hotta was a leading proponent of the concept and design of APU and helped shape the university's founding vision.堀田牧太郎教授是该校构想与设计的主要倡导者，参与塑造了学校的创校愿景。

• Emil Elestianto Dardak, an Indonesian economist and politician educated at APU, has served as Deputy Governor of East Java since February 2019 and completed his doctorate at the university at the age of 22.埃米尔·埃莱斯蒂安托·达尔达克是在该校就读的印尼经济学家与政治家，自 2019 年 2 月起任东爪哇省副省长，并在 22 岁时于该校取得博士学位。

• Kosuke Enomoto, an APU graduate, has been a member of the Kyoto and Kyotanabe city councils since April 2019.榎本邦介是该校毕业生，自 2019 年 4 月起担任京都市与京田边市市议会议员。

• Dissa Ahdanisa, an Indonesian graduate of the university, is a social entrepreneur recognised for her work in promoting accessibility and inclusion.迪萨·阿赫达尼萨是该校的印尼籍毕业生，是一位以推动无障碍与包容事业著称的社会企业家。

• Sei Sugama, a Japanese cubist painter, is among the university's notable alumni in the arts.菅间诚是一位日本立体主义画家，是该校艺术领域的知名校友之一。

• The university's alumni community extends to more than 150 countries and regions, with graduates working in international organisations, government, media and business.该校校友群体遍及 150 多个国家和地区，毕业生就职于国际组织、政府部门、媒体与商界。