The island of Hokkaido is the most northern of Japan's four main islands. Surrounded by sea, Hokkaido is an island of rich natural beauty, boasting mountain ranges, wetlands, and great natural lakes; its climate and ecosystem are unique within Japan. Hokkaido University has been host to the pioneering botanical research of Dr. Kingo Miyabe, and the research on snow and ice of Dr.Ukichiro Nakaya. The distinctive characteristics of the University have allowed and encouraged distinction in research, too, and today Hokkaido University produces a large volume of high quality research closely linked to the island's region and characteristics, from such world-leading institutes as the Institute of Low Temperature Science and the Field Science Center for Northern Biosphere. The University has also made significant contributions to Antarctic exposition and research.

The unique topographical features of Hokkaido have not only shaped research in the natural sciences at Hokkaido University; they have exerted a strong influence on research in the humanities too. Hokkaido University is the core research center for Slavic studies in Japan, for example, and is also the clear leader of interdisciplinary research on and education about the Ainu, the indigenous people of Hokkaido.

Much of the research conducted at Hokkaido University has developed in tandem with the industry and economy of Hokkaido itself. Hokkaido has a high ration of primary industries, including agriculture, dairy husbandry and fishing, and of tertiary industries, such as tourism. This industrial structure is reflected in the make-up of the University, which includes schools of agriculture, veterinary medicine, fisheries science and the Research Center for Zoonosis Control. Hokkaido University is the only Japanese national university with a dedicated veterinary medicine department.

In addition to basic research, Hokkaido University is committed to its core principle of practical learning, which places strong emphasis on translating research findings into workable solutions to contemporary community and social issues, through application and commercialization. The University has shown significant and wide-ranging success in such practical learning, including the research of Dr. Akira Suzuki, Emeritus Professor of Hokkaido University and recipient of the 2010 of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. His work in palladium-catalyzed cross coupling reactions of organoboron compounds has impacted not only the field of organic chemistry, but also diverse other disciplines, including catalytic chemistry and materials science. The Suzuki Coupling Reaction is recognized across the globe, and has extensive practical applicability; it is currently widely used in the synthesis of bioactive natural products, including pharmaceutical products.

Ever since its beginnings as Sapporo Agricultural College, Hokkaido University has offered classes taught in English by native speakers from overseas. Its founding principle of the cultivation of global perspectives has been passed down through each generation, and the modern University has academic agreements in place with 176 institutes throughout the world, including departmental level arrangements, allowing positive exchange between both faculty and students. Hokkaido University is particularly committed to enhancing its relationships in China, Korea, Taiwan and other North-east Asian countries, focusing on international student exchange and faculty dispatch agreements with outstanding universities such as Peking University and Seoul National University.

a row of poplar trees