About TUPLS Welcome
Chairperson's Greeting
The Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, founded in 1880, is the oldest private pharmaceutical education institution in Japan.
Its founder, Dr. Masakata Fujita, recognized the need for practical pharmaceutical education as a means of improving the health and hygiene of the civilian population as modern Japan developed. Accordingly, he founded the Tokyo Pharmaceutists School to train pharmacists with an emphasis on basic education.
This founding spirit of the university has been passed on to its successors and has continued to develop: first, as a private school for pharmacists (first school president Dr. Junichiro Shimoyama); then as the Tokyo College of Pharmacy (first school president Dr. Keizo Tanba); and finally as the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences (first school president Dr. Yoshiatsu Murayama). As of April 2020, a total of 41,232 students have graduated from this institution over its 140-year history.
Fumiyo Kusu, Chairperson
In addition to their work as pharmacists in hospitals and pharmacies, our graduates have upheld the spirit of our founder and have contributed to society both in Japan and around the world in various fields such as education and research in life sciences and pharmacy, distribution, information services, health and hygiene, and the development and production of pharmaceuticals, foods, and cosmetics.
Our graduates are also passionate about training the next generation of students at the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences and are a particularly valuable resource for us.
Circumstances surrounding the health and hygiene of the people of Japan have changed continually, but healthcare in this country is now undergoing a major transformation. It faces the advent of personalized and regenerative medicine, as well as a declining number of children, the advent of a super-aging society, and the internationalization of healthcare that is seen as a global standard.
The Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, which provides training in both fundamental and applied skills through the School of Pharmacy and the School of Life Sciences, has prepared a training and research environment suitable to the needs of these changing times.
The Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences incorporated educational institution supports education that allows each student to achieve his or her personal growth, and focuses on research to achieve results befitting a university graduate school. It aims to “be generous in mind, able to see the world with a broad-minded perspective based on the spirit of humanism, and able to contribute to the welfare of humanity and world peace through the fields of pharmacy and the life sciences.” We strive continuously to embody the philosophy of our university.
Pharmacology and Life Sciences are extremely interesting fields of study, encompassing not only the human body but also human behavior and health, and make significant contributions to society through the field of medicine.
To all of you who share this interest, why don’t we study together! “The crown jewels of the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences are its people.”
We promote education with an emphasis on the student, in collaboration with teaching and administrative staff who are passionate about education and research.
With this basic principle of university education in mind, the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences incorporated educational institution will continue to strive for excellence in university management and innovation.
Fumiyo Kusu, Chairperson
President's Greeting
Aiming to make further progress founded on our achievements as a traditional school
The Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences was founded by a medical doctor, Masakata Fujita, as Japan's first private pharmacy educational institution, “Tokyo Yakuho Gakko,” in 1880. It became the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences in 1949, with both men’s and women’s divisions. In 1963, the Department of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmacy was established, and in 1981, the University was the first to establish the Department of Medical Pharmacy, Graduate School of Pharmacy. However, in 1976, the men’s division in Kashiwagi, Shinjuku Ward, and the women’s division in Ueno, Taito Ward, were fully relocated to the Hachioji Campus. In 1994, the Faculty of Life Sciences, which is closely related to pharmaceutical sciences, was established in Japan for the first time to develop professionals responsible for cutting-edge research in life sciences and biotechnology. This was a new start as a comprehensive medical university with two faculties and two graduate schools. In 2020, we celebrated our foundation’s 140th anniversary.
Yoshihiro Mimaki, President
To realize student-first education, both the Faculty of Pharmacy and the Faculty of Life Sciences have implemented various reforms to adapt to current trends with a view toward the future. As a result of these reforms, both faculties received glowing assessments in Criterion 4 (Curriculum and Learning Outcomes) and Criterion 7 (Student Support) during the 2020 accreditation evaluation by the Japan University Accreditation Association. In 2006, pharmacist education became a six-year system, which brought about significant changes in the research environment of the Faculty of Pharmacy. The number of papers published each year is a testament to the Faculty of Pharmacy’s thriving research capabilities. The Faculty of Life Science’s research capability is said to be unrivaled based on the number of students proceeding to graduate school and acquiring competitive research funds such as scientific research grants. The strength of a traditional school has allowed most of our students to progress to their desired course.
Our primary goal is to continue to be a leading university in the fields of pharmacy, medical care, and life sciences. In addition to building a more attractive educational curriculum that meets all students’ needs, we plan to conduct state-of-the-art basic research as well as research that will lead to social implementation.
Presently, approximately 3,800 undergraduate and graduate students are studying at the Hachioji Campus surrounded by its abundant nature and the remnants of Tama Hills. Students are proud to be alumni of this traditional school and are constantly striving to acquire and develop knowledge, capacities, attitudes, and problem-solving skills to society’s benefit. All of this is possible through the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences’ educational and research environment. As we approach our 150th anniversary, the Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences continues to take on new challenges.
Yoshihiro Mimaki, President
- About TUPLS
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