Year of foundation: 2000
Approx. number of students: 5,400
Period of study: Mid September-Early February; End March - Early August
MCI partner since: 2008
The City
Beppu is located on the island of Kyūshū. It has approx. 120,000 inhabitants.
The city is famous for its onsen (hot springs), which are regarded as sacred. Beppu is Japan's onsen capital with the largest volume of hot water in the world apart from Yellowstone in the United States and the largest number of hot spring sources in Japan. Beppu is considered a tourist town by the Japanese. Like many other Japanese cities, Beppu is sandwiched between the sea and the mountains.
The University
Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University is a private institution; approximately half of the students and faculty members come from outside of Japan. The construction of the university has been planned as an economic stimulus for the outskirts of Japan. Beppu has enjoyed moderate growth and modernization since APU was established.
In 2003, 2004 and 2005 APU was selected as a "Good Practice" university by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. 