32°48′N 130°43′E / 32.8°N 130.717°E / 32.8; 130.717 Kumamoto Gakuen University (熊本学園大学, Kumamoto Gakuen daigaku) Called Gakuendai (学園大) or Shōdai (商大), it is a private Japanese university in Kumamoto, Japan. It was established in 1942, at which time Eastern Language Vocational College (東洋語学専門学校　Tōyō Gengo Senmon Gakkō) was subsumed into it. It was renamed Kumamoto Language Vocational College (熊本言語専門学校 Kumamoto Gengo Senmon Gakkō) in 1945, and was made into Kumamoto Commerce University (熊本商科大学 Kumamoto shōka daigaku) in 1954. It acquired its current name, Kumamoto Gakuen University, in 1994. At present, the university has 4 faculties with 11 departments. The university also has an affiliated senior high school, located immediately adjacent to the campus. While the high school is recognized as one of the best in the prefecture, the reputation of the university itself is as a second-rank institution. The Open Research Center for Minamata Studies: this center carries out research into Minamata disease. Masazumi Harada is the head of this center. Partner Institutions KGU has signed agreements with 18 different partner institutions in the 9 countries listed below.