Chiba Institute of Technology

Chiba Institute of Technology was founded in 1942, and was originally known as the Kōa Institute of Technology. It was established by a group of prominent Japanese men, including Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni, naval officer Osami Nagano, philosopher Kitaro Nishida Kuniyoshi, and novelist Saneatsu Mushanokōji. A private university, it moved to the city of Kimitu, Chiba prefecture, in 1946 at which point it took its current name. Seven years later, the university relocated to the site of its current main campus in the city of Narashino, also in Chiba. Chiba prefecture is located on the eastern side of Tokyo bay, and the city of Narashino is close to Chiba’s border with Tokyo. As such, the university is within easy travelling distance of the Japanese capital. Chiba Institute of Technology has three campuses: the Tsudanuma Campus and the Shin-Narashino Campus are both located in Narashino, while the Tokyo Skytree Town Campus is situated in the capital. Among CIT's research centres are the Future Robotics Technology Centre, or fuRo, which develops robot technology; the Planetary Exploration Research Centre, which researches the origins of life in the universe; and the Software Technology and Artificial Intelligence Research Laboratory. The university has five faculties: Social Science, Advanced Engineering, Information and Computer Science, Creative Engineering, and Engineering. It has established international links with universities in about 20 countries around the world, including the University of Colorado Boulder in the US, Amity University in India, and the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden. One of the university’s best known alumni is Masayuki Uemura, an electrical engineer who designed the Nintendo Entertainment System games console. Other former students include the anime director Kazuki Akane, and the actor Hiroshi Tachi.