Konan Women's University is a private institution which can trace its roots back to the foundation of Konan Girls School in 1920. It is one of 18 universities in Kobe, Japan’s sixth largest city.
A junior college was started in 1955 and developed nine years later into a university offering four-year degree courses via departments of Japanese and English literature. Graduate studies began in 1975 and doctorates in 1977. The university is still associated with junior and senior high schools.
Its motto "be pure in heart, be truthful, be kind and be strong" dates to 1924 and it defines its mission as "to cultivate women with a strong desire to serve society, equipped with grace and a cosmopolitan spirit".
Just over 4,000 students are spread across four faculties – letters, human science (created in 2001), nursing and rehabilitation (2007) and the newest founded in 2018, clinical nutrition and dietetics. No one course predominates hugely, but the largest annual intake is approximately 150 students in integrated child studies.
Students are also offered general courses on themes such as self-discovery, exposure to different viewpoints and skills for the global era. The university’s long tradition of English literature studies is reflected in the annual Shakespeare production which started in 1966.
The location of its campus informs the "hill festival where the sea can be seen" held every October.
There are international agreements with two universities in Korea and one each in China and France, while summer programmes are offered every year in the UK, Australia, France, Canada, China and Indonesia.
