Through all ages, humans, goods, and information have been gathered together as a part of history, just as the tides collectively flow into the ocean. Inevitably, great civilizations have emerged when various kinds of tides called cultures were intermingled and blended together.

However, history also tells us that those civilizations which are self-contained and concerned only with themselves fall into decline.  Understanding different cultures and taking them in for one's own growth invigorate not only knowledge and technology but also a culture as a whole, and subsequently such enterprises lead to real creativity and innovation.

Accepting other cultures and producing a system of knowledge which is creative and new, and transmitting it to the outside world and into the future are the aims of this graduate school.  Both the Master's Course and Doctoral Course at Kobe City University of Foreign Studies have been designed with these precepts in mind.

The Research Institute of Foreign Studies was established in 1951 for the purpose of cultivating research and education.  Since the university's inception, the Institute has played a pivotal role in the development of the university's research program, and it sponsors a variety of events and projects: publishing journals to present research findings, inviting researchers from other countries, and holding lectures.  Moreover, as a part of the social action program, classes for citizens are also held.