Keio University (慶應義塾大学 Keio Gijuku Daigaku) is Japan's oldest and and one of its most prestigious institutions of higher education. It was founded in 1858 by the famous educator and author Fukuzawa Yukichi as a private school of Western studies, and established its first university faculties in 1890.
Although Keio was the first advanced school in Japan, it was quickly eclipsed by the state-supported University of Tokyo. Part of this was because Fukuzawa had an adversarial relationship with the samurai who founded Japan's oligarchic government during the Meiji era. Keio still vies for the rank of #2 with its cross-town rival, Waseda University. Famous Keio alumni include the Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi.
The main campus is in the Mita district of Tokyo.
