What are the Liberal Arts？
The liberal arts that the University of Tokyo aims to foster are not merely a preliminary stage of university before specialized education begins, but rather the movement of thought and sensitivity across boundaries, traversing multiple domains and cultures. This meaning goes beyond the conventional usage of “liberal arts” in university education in Japan, which has focused on acquiring a general education as a foundation for restricted or specialized knowledge, possessing unbiased knowledge as a human being, and instilling a spirit of truth-seeking that extends to all areas. The Komaba Campus cultivates the liberal arts in this expanded sense through an integrated educational and research structure that extends throughout the Junior and Senior Divisions of the undergraduate program to include the Graduate School as well. All students who study at the University of Tokyo as undergraduates are exposed to the Komaba Liberal Arts, thus becoming aware of limitless possibilities and becoming able to explore specialized fields without being limited to their interests at the time of admission.
Liberal Arts Cultivated at Komaba
Three Areas of Support for the Evolution of Komaba
◆Student support
・Expansion of scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students at Komaba
・Enhancement of on-campus jobs* and research assistant (RA) positions
◆Research support
・Support for faculty research activities
・Employment of post-doctoral fellows
◆Environmental improvement
・ Renovation of older facilities
*In the on-campus job program, students contribute to university operations utilizing the knowledge and skills they have acquired through their research and study activities. The program helps students gain experience in carrying out their own research on campus as well as provides them with financial support.
Message to Contributors
Since its establishment, the University of Tokyo has emphasized liberal arts education as the foundation of undergraduate education. In an increasingly fluid society, demands for liberal arts education as an intellectual foundation are increasing, and the importance of liberal arts education is growing on the Komaba Campus, where the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences are located.
The Komaba Liberal Arts Fund aims to revitalize education and research at the Komaba Campus (i.e., the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and College of Arts and Sciences), which is unique among the University of Tokyo campuses.
As stated in the Three Areas of Support for the Evolution of Komaba, donations will be used primarily for (1) student support, (2) research support, and (3) environmental improvements. We will use the donations to carefully nurture the diverse and talented students who gather at Komaba and send them out into the world as diverse human resources who will lead in many different areas and as creative researchers who are active on the front lines of their fields.
In order for the University of Tokyo to become a place that anyone in the world would want to join, it is essential to enhance the Komaba Campus, which provides liberal arts education, the cornerstone of education and research. To support projects that seek overall support for education and research at Komaba (i.e., the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and College of Liberal Arts), we need to diversify our financial resources beyond our existing budget through donations that can be used flexibly.
A liberal arts education does not happen overnight. It is your continued support that will make liberal arts education at Komaba even stronger.
We hope you will join us in supporting our efforts to transform society by producing many outstanding individuals who will build the future starting from the Komaba Campus.
Fumitaka MAFUNE
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
※Click here for videos about the Komaba Campus (in Japanese).
Benefits of This Project
Donors will be invited to symposiums, public lectures, report sessions, and round-table discussions.
Donations to the University of Tokyo are eligible for tax benefits.
Project Leader
Fumitaka MAFUNE
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
