School of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University

The School of International Corporate Strategy (ICS) was established in 2000 as Japan’s first global, all-English MBA program. Hitotsubashi University, itself, started out in 1875 as an institute for business training, tasked with producing “modern” businessmen. ICS shares with Hitotsubashi University a staunch commitment to excellence in business education and academic research, and, like its parent school, demonstrates a strong pioneering spirit. ICS quickly established its unique positioning in Japan with the launch of English-only MBA and DBA programs, which are supported by a depth of research, a strong network with business leaders and innovators, and an international faculty and student body. Today, through its very own Signature Courses, ICS teaches at the frontier of business education.

The small size of the entering class (student-faculty ratio of 5:1) gives students the opportunity to work closely with each other and also their professors. All students belong to small, group seminars - called “zemi” in Japanese - led by faculty members. These peer groups cultivate strong supportive relationships, between students, students and faculty, and even between seminar alumni, both inside and outside the classroom, resulting in life-long relationships: This is the ICS Experience.

We design our program as a “leadership development journey.” Students will: (1) discover their own leadership philosophy and an authentic leadership style; (2) understand diverse perspectives; and (3) embrace the complexities of reality, taking a large step toward becoming a wise leader, one that can lead others in this unpredictable, complex world, for the betterment of society.