The First Prestigious UK Public School in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area
Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress) Scheduled to Open in Late August 2023 in Kashiwa-no-ha
Will Newly Construct a Rugby Field Matched to International Standards and a Cafeteria Built from Wood, Creating a “Garden Campus” Rich in Greenery

July 29, 2022
Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd.

Tokyo, Japan, July 29, 2022 – Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd., a leading global real estate company headquartered in Tokyo, hereby announces that the school establishment plan for Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress), an international school within Chiba University’s Kashiwanoha Campus, was approved by the Governor of Chiba Prefecture on July 25, 2022. Mitsui Fudosan has promoted Rugby School Japan together with Rugby School International Limited (a UK corporate entity; “RSIL”), the Rugby School Japan Establishment Foundation, Chiba University, and Clarence Education Asia Limited. Having received approval, Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress) is scheduled to begin accepting student applications from September 2022 aimed at a school opening in late August 2023.

The UK’s Rugby School, known as the birthplace of rugby, is a historic public school that makes up one of “the nine*.” This will be the first school opening of “The Nine” in the Tokyo metropolitan area, and marks the second overseas location of the UK’s Rugby School.

* “The Nine”: A name collectively given to nine historic public schools in the UK.

Key Points of Rugy School Japan (Approval in Progress)

• Will be created as an international school among “The Nine,” the first of the UK’s prestigious public schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area, located approximately 30 minutes from central Tokyo in Kashiwa-no-ha
• Through the surroundings of Chiba University’s Kashiwanoha Campus, will provide a learning environment similar to the UK, featuring green spaces of various sizes where students can relax
• Will newly construct a rugby field matched to international standards and a combined cafeteria and lecture hall built from wood that has enough capacity for all students. Plans show consideration toward the environment, and include scheduled acquisition of ZEB and ZEH-M certifications
• Aims to realize the creation of an international academic, educational, and cultural space set forth in the Kashiwa-no-ha International Campus Town Initiative

Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress) will be built with the grounds of Chiba University’s Kashiwanoha Campus, a three-minute-walk from Kashiwanoha-campus Station, which offers fantastic access as it is located 30 minutes from central Tokyo. Mitsui Fudosan plans to arrange auxiliary facilities other than the Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress) school building, and will newly construct a rugby field matched to international standards and a cafeteria built from wood that is also envisioned to be used as a lecture hall. For these facilities, it plans to meet environmental standards equivalent to ZEB Oriented and ZEH-M Oriented by arranging energy-saving equipment. Mitsui Fudosan will also leave in place approximately 300 existing trees at Chiba University’s Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences, creating a landscape that preserves the memory of a leafy garden campus.

Although the UK’s Rugby School is known as the birthplace of rugby, a type of ball game, Rugby School Japan is scheduled to open in 2023, which marks the 200th anniversary of the game’s creation. Kashiwa-no-ha shares a deep connection with rugby, as it is where the NEC GREEN ROCKETS TOKATSU’s host stadium is located, and also where Mitsui Fudosan once carried out a pretraining support camp for New Zealand’s national rugby team. Mitsui Fudosan will establish a rugby field matched to international standards within the grounds of Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress), and connect it to sports promotion, advancement of globalization and community vitalization through rugby.

The Kashiwa-no-ha International Campus Town Initiative was formulated in 2008 and established concrete goals and policies mainly to promote the utilization of academic research resources and internationalization in Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City. Neighborhood creation is being undertaken for an international academic research city and next generation environmental city through a private-public-academic collaboration. The opening of Rugby School Japan (Approval in progress) will lead to the establishment of educational infrastructure capable of providing a global education, which is expected to result in a further concentration of human resources and foreign-owned companies from many regions around the world, primarily Asia.

While Mitsui Fudosan plans to arrange auxiliary facilities other than the Rugby School Japan (Approval in Progress) school building, its efforts will also extend to the opening of the school, including discussions and arrangements between relevant parties, and realizing the creation of an international academic, educational, and cultural space set forth in the initiative. In addition, it will deepen collaborations and exchanges with educational organizations, including the nearby Chiba University, as well as companies, research institutions, and regions, and aims to create new industries and cultural value.

■ Map

Access: Three-minute-walk from Kashiwanoha-campus Station on the Tsukuba Express line

■Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City

https://www.kashiwanoha-smartcity.com/ (in Japanese)
Located approx. 30 minutes from central Tokyo, Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, which is centered around the Kashiwanoha-campus Station, is where The University of Tokyo, Chiba University, and the nation’s top research and medical institutes are concentrated. The Kashiwa-no-ha International Campus Initiative was established in 2008 at Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City, and proactive engagement is being made in demonstration projects using technology from startups and universities through a private-public-academic collaboration. Mitsui Fudosan currently aims to create a smart, compact city driven by data through the introduction of new technologies such as AI and IoT, and Kashiwa-no-ha Smart City has been selected by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism as an advanced model project for a smart city towards realizing Society 5.0. Going forward, Mitsui Fudosan will work on developing smart medical institution services for health and medicine. In addition, the Mitsui Fudosan Group believes that it can contribute significantly to the realization of Society 5.0, which is advocated by the Japanese government, and to the achievement of the SDGs, by promoting ESG management, which means advancing businesses based on an awareness of the Environment (E), Society (S), and Governance (G).

■Mitsui Fudosan Group’s contribution to SDGs

https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/esg_csr/
The Mitsui Fudosan Group aims for a society that enriches both people and the planet under the principles of coexist in harmony with society, link diverse values and achieve a sustainable society, and advances business with an awareness of the environment (E), society (S) and governance (G), thus promoting ESG management. By further accelerating its ESG management, the Group will realize Society 5.0, which the Japanese government has been advocating, and contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs. Additionally, the Group formulated the following Group guidelines related to “Realize a Decarbonized Society” and “Diversity & Inclusion Promotion” in November 2021. The Mitsui Fudosan Group will continue to work toward solving social issues through neighborhood creation.

References
Group Action Plan to Realize a Decarbonized Society
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2021/1124/
Diversity & Inclusion Promotion Declaration and Initiative Policy
https://www.mitsuifudosan.co.jp/english/corporate/news/2021/1129_02/

＊The Project contributes to the progression towards the five following goals.