In order to study the state of cultures in modern societies, and to find ways to take on such contemporary issues as intercultural conflict and dispute; it is necessary to look into each regional culture, study intercultural exchanges, and cultivate the ability to investigate the state of world culture under globalization. To achieve this objective, the Graduate School of Intercultural Studies offers the following two divisions: “Cultural Interaction” for the multidimensional study of intercultural exchanges based on studies of each regional culture; and “Culture and Globalization” for studying the contemporary phase of cultures under globalization.

“Cultural Interaction” is further broken down to “Area Studies” for the interdisciplinary study of each regional society and culture; and “Intercultural Communication” for the multidimensional exploration of the cross-cultural contacts, conflicts, and exchanges. The graduate school aims to: (1) understand the culture of each region; (2) comprehend intercultural relationships and exchanges; (3) and to cultivate intercultural communication skills.

“Culture and Globalization”, on the other hand, is broken down into the following four: “Contemporary Culture and Society” for the comprehensive study of contemporary societies and cultures under the faltering modern Western principles; “Human Communication and Information Science” for exploring verbal and non-verbal communications, and issues related to the use of diverse information media. “Second Language Education” is an advanced research in second language education and to foster outstanding professionals in the field. “Advanced Communication”, is a joint research group with Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International (ATR). With these researches, the graduate school seeks to; (1) define the cultural changes caused by globalization and to build a new public culture; (2) develop advanced methods of global communication; (3) and to design a second language education system in the era of globalization.