Education in Kobe

The city of Kobe, Japan, is home to a number of schools, both public and private. The following is a list of some of the more prominent academic institutions in Kobe:

Universities

Public universities

• Kobe University
• University of Hyōgo (Prefectural university)
• Kobe City University of Foreign Studies
• Kobe City College of Nursing

Private universities

• Hyogo University of Health Sciences
• Kobe Design University
• Kobe Gakuin University
• Kobe International University
• Kobe Kaisei College (Women's university)
• Kobe Pharmaceutical University
• Kobe Reformed Theological Seminary
• Kobe Shinwa Women's University
• Kobe Shoin Women's University
• Kobe Shukugawa Gakuin University
• Kobe University of Fashion and Design
• Kobe Women's University
• Kobe Yamate University
• Konan University
• Konan Women's University
• University of Marketing and Distribution Science

Primary and secondary schools

Public schools

Elementary and junior high schools are operated by the city of Kobe, while high schools are operated by the Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education .

A list of Hyogo Prefectural high schools in Japanese is here .

Private schools

Lists of private schools in Hyogo Prefecture at in Japanese.

International schools

Canadian Academy

By 1979 many international school had opened in Kobe.^[1] As of 2002 many foreigners live on or nearby Rokko Island, so schools for foreign expatriate children are concentrated in that area.^[2] Historically foreigners working in Osaka preferred to live in Kobe instead of Osaka, so Osaka did not get any international schools for expatriates until 1991.^[3]

The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995 caused a decline in demand for international schools, as there were about 2,500 U.S. nationals resident in Kobe after the earthquake while the pre-earthquake number was about 5,000. American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ) Kansai chapter president Norman Solberg stated that since 2002 the numbers of expatriates in Kansai were recovering "but the fact is there is still a persistent exodus to Tokyo."^[4]

By 1998 seven of the international schools in Kobe formed the Association of Foreign Schools in Hyogo Prefecture, and that year the association asked the Japanese government for subsidies.^[5]

English-language international schools:

• Canadian Academy (K-12), located on the man-made Rokko Island
• Marist Brothers International School (Montessori-12), located in Suma-ku
• St. Michael's International School (PreK-6), a small British elementary school located in Kitano-cho, near Sannomiya and Motomachi stations

As of 2002 the only English-language programs with full K-12 coverage in the Kobe area were Canadian Academy and Marist.^[2]

German and English-language schools:

• Deutsche Schule Kobe - European School, located in Nada-ku

Other European schools:

• Former school: Norwegian School of Lutheran International Schools^[5]

Chinese international schools:

• Kobe Chinese School

Chosen gakko (North Korean international schools) in the City of Kobe:

• Kobe Korean Senior High School
• Kobe Korean Elementary and Junior High School (神戸朝鮮初中級学校)
• West Kobe Korean Elementary School (西神戸朝鮮初級学校)

Japanese Language Schools

• Lexis Japan 「レクシス語学学院」

References