Founded in 1949, Niigata University is a Japanese national, comprehensive university located in Niigata City, Japan. It has nine undergraduate faculties, five graduate schools as well as two professional schools in humanities, education, law, economics, science, medicine, health sciences, dentistry, engineering, and agriculture. The university also houses two research institutes and the university hospital. Blessed with abundant natural beauty characteristic to northern Japan, our two campuses offer students and researchers an ideal environment for pursuing their academic goals. The ideals of Niigata University shall be those of autonomy and creation based on the traditions of simplicity and modesty fostered in the lofty ambition (we call it "earth of Koshi") and the enterprising spirit of a port city opened to the world, and the university shall have contribution to the steady development of the region and the world through education and research as its purpose. In order to realize these ideals and achieve its purpose: 1. The university's fundamental educational aim shall lie in its acquisition of a wealth of culture and a high level of expertise through carefully selected curricula to accurately address the issues of the day, and the nurturing of talented people to play a wide range of roles. 2. The university's fundamental research aim shall lie in its inheritance of intellectual assets in traditional academic fields while promoting cross-field research capitalizing on the special characteristics of the university and creative research having value in the eyes of the world. 3. The university's fundamental aim in contribution to society shall lie in its support for the development of regional and international society, as a key institution of education and research in the Northeast Asian area as a core component, through medical treatment and collaborative activities between industry, government and academia. 4. The university's fundamental management and operation aim shall lie in its continued reform efforts aiming for the most suitable kind of administration, in order to preserve legitimacy as a university having the support of the citizenry.