Program Overview

The kinds of global leaders that we seek to cultivate must, as a starting point, be people with "integrity and passion." We believe that it is not possible to contribute meaningfully to economic and social advancement without lofty aspirations, advanced ethical sense, and an abundance of passion.

Building on these foundations, it is necessary to acquire high-level knowledge as well as capabilities across the three areas of "crossing boundaries," "building communities," and "problem solving." These are the attributes of the global leaders that the SSP seeks to cultivate.

A leader of business and industry in the modern era, Eiichi Shibusawa is surely Japan’s original “Captain of Industry.”

Shibusawa returned to Japan following the Meiji Restoration, the change of government that marked the advent of Japan’s modern era. He worked to establish modern taxation, currency and banking systems, guided the creation of new industries, and popularized the joint-stock company system. He came to realize, however, that Japan would only become truly prosperous if private enterprise flourished, and resolved to lead the process of building a nation founded on commerce and industry. He went on to be involved in the founding and management of some 470 different companies, starting with the Daiichi Kokuritsu Ginkō, Japan’s first modern bank. It is no surprise that he is widely known as “the father of Japanese capitalism.”

Shibusawa’s activities were not limited to the economic sphere. He also left his mark on projects in social welfare, citizen diplomacy, education, and many other areas of public life. In the field of education, his efforts were directed to the development of business education and provision of educational opportunities for girls and women. Particularly notable was his support for Tokyo Higher Commercial School, the forerunner of Hitotsubashi University. He believed that institutions of higher education had a crucial role to play in fostering business leaders for a nation founded on commerce and industry. It was his firm desire to preserve and advance Hitotsubashi University’s position as the leader in this field.

When formulating a new program to cultivate Global Captains of Industry, the Faculty of Commerce and Management turned to Hitotsubashi’s founding father, Eiichi Shibusawa, for a role model. The program was thus named the “Shibusawa Scholar Program” to reflect its mission of fostering the next generation of leaders.

Designed to cultivate global leaders, the SSP curriculum comprises English-medium specialized courses and seminars, together with long-term study abroad.

The first component of the curriculum, English-medium specialized courses and seminars, includes over 20 courses offered across the four main areas of study in the Faculty of Commerce and Management: Management, Marketing, Accounting, and Finance, allowing scholars to learn incrementally from fundamentals through to applications. These courses are taught by faculty members with a wealth of international experience in education and research.

The second component is long-term study abroad, usually undertaken by scholars in their third to fourth years of study. This component is offered as part of Hitotsubashi University's extensive range of study abroad programs.

One of these programs is the Global Leader Development Program, in which participants study at Harvard University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, or the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Hitotsubashi University has student exchange agreements with universities and institutes in many countries across the world, including Stanford University (U.S.), University of California (U.S.), University of London School of Asian and African Studies (SOAS; U.K.), HEC Paris (France), University of Mannheim (Germany), University of British Colombia (Canada), and the Renmin University of China. Numerous Hitotsubashi University students study abroad under these exchange programs each year, and many are supported by scholarships generously provided by donors including the Josuikai, Hitotsubashi University's alumni association.

Moreover, the Faculty of Commerce and Management is actively expanding inter-faculty student exchange with the Faculty of Economics, which operates a program similar to the SSP.

Each year around 15 students at the end of their first year of undergraduate study are selected as the core cohort of the SSP, which begins in the second year. Those who satisfy certain conditions by the time they graduate are presented with a special SSP certificate alongside their regular diploma upon graduation.

Please note that some of the specialized courses and seminars in the SSP curriculum are open only to SSP scholars, but other courses can also be taken by Faculty of Commerce and Management students not affiliated with the SSP.

For more details, please refer to the SSP website. You can also sign up to receive e-mail notifications when new information is posted on the Faculty of Commerce and Management website. Please fill out the form below if you wish to receive these notifications.

Please click here for SSP leaflet.