The educational corporation Urayama Gakuen, which operates Toyama Welfare Junior College (Imizu City, Toyama Prefecture) and other institutions, has announced that Koshi University (tentative name) is scheduled to open in April 2028 (currently in planning). If the plan is approved, it will be the first time in 4 years that a four-year university will be established in Toyama Prefecture.
Koshi University (provisional name) plans to build a school building on the site of the current Toyama Welfare Junior College (Imizu City), establish a new "Faculty of Economics and Management, Department of Economics and Management," and turn the existing Toyama Welfare Junior College (Department of Social Welfare, Department of Nursing, Department of Early Childhood Education) into a "Junior College Department." Kosuke Motani, a senior researcher at the Japan Research Institute, is expected to become the president of the university.
Among universities in Toyama Prefecture, Takaoka University of Law (Takaoka City), which has been under-enrolled, has decided to stop recruiting students from 2025 onwards and close the school. After Takaoka University of Law closes, the remaining three universities will be the national Toyama University (Toyama City, Takaoka City), the public Toyama Prefectural University (Toyama City, Imizu City), and the private Toyama International University (Toyama City). Kochi Prefecture, Saga Prefecture, Tottori Prefecture, and Toyama Prefecture are the only four prefectures with one or less private university. Compared to the enrollment capacity of private universities, Toyama Prefecture has only 3 students compared to 1 students in neighboring Ishikawa Prefecture. As a result, the retention rate for university enrollment in 4 is only 4,293% in Toyama Prefecture, compared to 210% in Ishikawa Prefecture and 2023% in Fukui Prefecture.
In light of this, Takashi University (provisional name) has decided to establish a Faculty of Economics and Management, which has a large applicant pool, with the aim of becoming a place for local young people. The Faculty of Economics and Management has an admissions quota of 95 students, with a planned capacity of 380. The aim is to develop human resources who can acquire specialized knowledge in the fields of economics and management, and who can independently and creatively carry out economic activities in the local area.
Regarding financial resources, the city has established a "Subsidy System for Establishing Universities Using Imizu City's Corporate Hometown Tax Donation System," which is expected to cover 14 million yen of the 3 billion yen needed to establish the university. Attention is focused on how much of this money will be raised from local businesses in Toyama Prefecture.
Toyama Prefecture Governor Hachiro Nitta issued a welcoming comment regarding the establishment of Koshi University (provisional name), saying, "The environment surrounding higher education institutions is becoming increasingly harsh, but human resource development is an important investment for the future, and I believe that higher education institutions are important places that support the vitality of our prefecture and serve as the foundation for its development. As a prefecture, we would like to listen carefully to what you have to say and provide the necessary support."
Reference: [Urayama Gakuen School Corporation] Establishment of Koshi University (provisional name) - Nurturing human resources who can independently and creatively carry out economic activities in the region (PDF)
[Toyama Prefecture] Governor's comments regarding the announcement of the establishment of "Takashi University (provisional name)"
