Japan offers a strong higher education system, official support resources for international students, and a living environment that attracts students from around the world. According to JASSO’s 2024 international student survey, Japan had 336,708 international students as of May 1, 2024, a 20.6% increase from the previous year. If you desire to study in Japan, you can benefit from a well-rounded educational system, experience a different culture, and broaden your horizons.
Graduates who study business in Japan may decide to work for nonprofit organizations and contribute to a cause close to their hearts. Arbitrator, financial trader, marketing executive, supply chain manager, management analyst, and international accountant are just a few of the many popular job titles available today. But before entering one of these professions, you first need to obtain a business degree. Let’s take a look at some of the best business schools in Japan you can enroll in.
Top Business Schools in Japan
1. Keio University
The Business School at Keio University was established in 1962 and has the longest history in management education and research in Japan. Since its inception, this business school has been referred to as “KBS.” Today, KBS includes the Keio University Graduate School of Business Administration, which offers full-time MBA, Executive MBA, and PhD programs, as well as short-term open-enrollment executive programs.
As part of the KBS curriculum, students learn a wide range of management skills and specialized knowledge. KBS also emphasizes the case method, an active learning approach in which students analyze business issues, explain their ideas, and discuss solutions rather than passively absorbing information through lectures.
The school contributes to the advancement of human society by developing innovative leaders with individual self-reliance, respect for the dignity of others, a clear sense of mission, a strong knowledge base, and the will to take action. Through practical education and the case method, KBS aims to develop leaders who can conceptualize and implement original business ideas in a changing market.
2. Waseda University
Waseda Business School is another excellent business school in Japan. Its mission is to create a dynamic learning community that develops insightful and responsible global leaders with actionable management knowledge.
The mission of Waseda University is to promote cross-cultural learning and exchanges of language, culture, and values to develop a world community. To meet the needs of students from around the world, Waseda Business School offers several programs, including English-based programs such as the International MBA, MSc in Finance, and Waseda-Nanyang Double MBA Program.
Through the school’s programs, WBS aims to create useful knowledge, cultivate global-minded leaders, and foster an environment of learning and sharing. Waseda Business School is internationally accredited by AACSB and EQUIS. In the QS Global MBA Rankings 2026, it was ranked No. 3 in Japan and No. 30 in Asia. In the Eduniversal Best Masters Ranking 2025 for full-time MBA programs, it was ranked No. 3 in Japan and No. 12 in Far East Asia.
3. Kyoto University
Kyoto University is committed to research, original scholarship, and cultivating individuals capable of assuming leadership roles and making significant contributions to society, all while upholding its tradition of academic freedom.
The Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University offers professional degree programs, including MBA programs, and a PhD/doctoral course. Its International MBA program is a two-year postgraduate program launched in 2025, providing English-taught courses in areas such as business leadership, service and hospitality management, finance, and accounting.
Moreover, this business school in Japan aims to improve the quality of graduate management education by connecting practical education with theory and business. The Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences (ILAS), established in 2013, conducts general education programs for undergraduate students across Kyoto University, helping students develop broad foundations before and alongside their specialized studies.
As a result, students can participate in both short- and long-term programs at universities outside Japan to broaden their horizons and worldviews.
4. Kobe University
Kobe University was the first university in Japan to have a school with the name “Business Administration.” The original entity of the school was established in 1902, making it the second-oldest business school in Japan, and it is proud to be associated with the birthplace of business administration studies in Japan.
There are three areas of study in the university’s undergraduate curriculum: management, accounting, and commerce. By providing practical knowledge built on a solid foundation in the social sciences, the school aims to cultivate the next generation of business and professional society leaders.
Furthermore, in keeping with its open and cosmopolitan culture and surroundings, Kobe University strives to positively impact the global community by creating knowledge based on universal values and cultivating a deep understanding and strong leadership abilities.
5. Nagoya University of Commerce and Business
The NUCB Business School MBA is the only program in Japan to have earned all three major international accreditations for management schools: AACSB, EQUIS, and AMBA. NUCB Business School is also ranked No. 1 in Japan in the QS Global MBA Ranking and is listed No. 17 in Asia in the QS Full-time MBA Rankings: Asia 2026. All of the school’s courses use the case method, with expert facilitators leading classroom discussions.
The Nagoya University of Commerce and Business MBA and MSc programs emphasize practical education, using the case method to deliver high-quality education and research certified by international accreditation organizations. In order to maintain their accreditation, accredited business schools must raise graduate education standards across the globe and adapt to changing educational missions.
Nagoya University Business School is an excellent business school in Japan. It expands management education opportunities for today’s professionals. Furthermore, the school offers master’s degree programs, focused programs, corporate training, and owner-operated company succession education.
6. Doshisha University
Doshisha University was founded in 1875 and is based on its founder’s philosophy of “education of conscience.” Doshisha Business School opened in 2004, with the belief that companies and business professionals should contribute positively to the community in addition to achieving financial success.
Doshisha Business School inaugurated its English-language Global MBA alongside its Japanese MBA in 2009. After five years, the Global MBA was strengthened in 2014 as an independent Global MBA program. The Global MBA, formally Global Business and Management Studies, is a two-year, full-time MBA program conducted entirely in English.
As one of the top business schools in Japan, Doshisha Business School focuses on encouraging its students to explore and inquire beyond the boundaries of the curriculum and adopt a global mindset that allows them to become more insightful and analytical.
In addition, the Global MBA program allows students to work alongside professors and business leaders to gain hands-on experience in exploring and challenging global business and management traditions or trends. Doshisha Business School’s MBA program also obtained AMBA accreditation in 2023.
7. Kwansei Gakuin University
Kwansei Gakuin University was founded by Reverend Walter Russell Lambuth in 1889 in Kobe. Lambuth was an American missionary who aimed to train missionaries and educate young people based on Christian principles.
Kwansei Gakuin aspires to encourage its students to live purposeful lives by becoming creative and useful citizens who embody the university’s motto, “Mastery for Service,” and contribute positively to society with integrity and compassion.
Kwansei Gakuin has served students for more than 130 years and now offers education from kindergarten through graduate school. As a leading private university, it has multiple undergraduate and graduate schools and welcomes more than 1,400 international students from around the world.
Kwansei Gakuin’s business programs offer an integrated and comprehensive set of degrees that stem from the university’s conviction that corporations hold crucial positions in the economic system. Hence, this business school nurtures future business professionals by teaching students to analyze and discover the principles and strategies of corporate behavior.
8. Hitotsubashi University
Hitotsubashi University is a prestigious business school in Japan and was founded in 1875 as the first business school in Japan. Its mission was to nurture “Captains of Industry,” which was considered essential to support the rapid development and modernization of the country. It has now expanded its scope and offers programs that cover the social sciences.
Today, Hitotsubashi is among the leading research universities in Japan and is the only Designated National University Corporation specializing in the social sciences. The university received Designated National University Corporation status in 2019.
Hence, Hitotsubashi offers a curriculum that is of a high standard in terms of education and research. It has produced several highly successful graduates who are now active in Japan and around the world.
The university offers business-related programs from the bachelor’s to doctoral level, including the Faculty of Commerce and Management and Hitotsubashi University Business School. Its Faculty of Commerce and Management covers business administration, accounting, marketing, and finance, while its graduate business programs include master’s, MBA, PhD, and DBA options.
9. International University of Japan
In 1982, the International University of Japan was founded to train experienced individuals who could contribute to the international community in a disciplined and competent manner.
This Japanese business school stands out because it offers English-taught graduate programs and focuses on global management education. IUJ aims to encourage students to adopt a spirit of progressive internationalism, and its administrative policy is autonomous and open.
The Graduate School of International Management was established in 1988. Its MBA was Japan’s first English-language MBA program and is designed to provide a rigorous international curriculum for global leaders.
IUJ’s Graduate School of International Management offers master’s-level business programs, including the MBA, Intensive MBA, Japan-Global Development Program, Digital Transformation Program, and International Social Entrepreneurship Program. The university also offers a PhD program through its Graduate School of International Relations.
10. Rikkyo University
Rikkyo University was founded by Bishop Channing Moore Williams in 1874. Its founder was an Episcopal missionary who began with a private school teaching English and Bible studies. The university was developed based on the model of traditional liberal arts institutions in the West.
Rikkyo strongly believes in society’s need for human resources who possess the ability to tackle social demands and global issues in an open-minded manner. Hence, Rikkyo aims to cultivate skilled global leaders who can withstand a rapidly changing environment and still make rational decisions.
Today, Rikkyo offers a liberal arts curriculum that nurtures leadership and internationality. Rikkyo’s College of Business includes programs such as the Department of Business and the Department of Global Business, the latter of which focuses on global business, international finance, and business and cross-cultural communication.
Rikkyo’s Graduate School of Business offers programs such as the Master of International Business, a full-time, two-year degree program designed to develop students’ ability to conceptualize, plan, and implement business in diverse and intercultural contexts. The College of Business and Graduate School of Business earned AACSB accreditation in August 2024, recognizing the quality of their business education and research.
As a country that has developed in leaps and bounds over the years, Japan is indeed a business and technology hotspot. Education has also developed vastly in Japan. According to JASSO, Japan had 336,708 international students as of May 1, 2024, including 58,215 in graduate schools and 87,421 in undergraduate universities.
In addition to providing affordable and high-quality education, Japan offers international students opportunities to build careers in a secure environment with a strong public infrastructure. Hence, Japan can be a great choice for anyone interested in pursuing a top-quality business education.
We hope that this article has helped you in your search for a business school. If you would like to read more about Japan, visit the Study in Japan page for more insightful articles. Make sure to also check out the Available Business Programs for international students.
