Belonging to IAS, we plan and manage

Liberal Arts Education in NDA.

About us

The Center for Excellence of Liberal Arts Education (hereinafter called: CELA) belongs to the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) and plans and manages NDA’s Liberal Arts Education so that cadets (students in NDA) can broaden their horizons, cultivate scientific way of thinking, and develop matured personality. To achieve this aim, CELA is composed of five divisions (Introductory Education division, International Education division, Interdisciplinary Education division, Leadership Education division, and Literacy Education division). They work independently, sometimes in collaboration with each other. Each division consists of both division members and section members who are faculties from related departments. Various agendas are discussed in the section.
CELA is mainly in charge of Liberal Arts Course, Educational Program, TOEIC related education, extracurricular speeches, planning, management, operating Introductory Seminar, and so on. Management committee for CELA is composed of division Heads in order to facilitate planning and management of Liberal Arts Education and embody its education policy.
Director, Center for Excellence of Liberal Arts, Prof. ASANO Atsushi

What is Educational Program

In addition to the specialized education offered by 3 humanities & social sciences departments and 11 science and engineering departments, a new Educational Program was launched in fiscal 2012 which enables students to take courses flexibly across departments and academic groups. It is a program in a new academic area that combines the distinctive specialties of the National Defense Academy by linking the class subjects established in different departments from both humanities and sciences organically.
Current Educational Program is composed of four interdisciplinary programs -

Crisis Management Program

For cadets of Depts. of Public Policy and International Relations


In the current 21 century, an uncertainty and uncertainness of the security environment, the expansion of functionality and regionality of the missions of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) are increasing continuously. To manage such situations, stutends in NDA (cadets) learn how to make an accurate estimate of, avoid, manage, and prevent recurrence of crises, in addition, the related technical methodology.

Safety Science Program

For all students (cadets)


It is very important for the system of denfense and disaster prevention to work correctly and continuously that the system, namely command line and actual working unit, should be in a safe and normal condition comprehensively. In the situation of an emergency, which is abnormal and ultimate environment, we have to guard the system including people. To achieve this aim, students in NDA (cadets) learn the basic and scientific knowledge to guard the system by exceeding the conventional fields such as science, engineering, humanities sociology, and physical education.

Life Science Program

For cadets of Department of Appolied Chemistry


Development of modern science makes our life rich, wealthily. On the other hand, the biological and chemical developements may wreak havoc on the national security. One of the missions of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) is to prevent biological and chemical weapons, and to decontaminate them. To accomplish the mission, students in NDA (cadets) learn the basic bioscience knowledge, and understand and solve a problem on the bioscienfic field on the basis of chemistry.

and

Cross-Disciplinary Program
(outer space, cyber, electromagnetic wave)

For all students (cadets)


Once, it was normal that visible things were important for security. In the 21 century, the invisible field should be added for security, and it is demanded for us to manage an asymmetric region. Students in NDA (cadets) learn basic knowledge about the invisible and asymmetric region, which is outer space, cyber, and electromagnetic wave fields, together with conventional Ground-, Maritime-, and Air-force defense regions.

-, and

International Education Program

For all students (cadets)


The students in NDA (cadets) learn intensively how to communicate with foreigners on the basis of various thinkings and different cultures, correspoinding to the increase of the international activity of the Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF); the increase means the global communication becomes very important to accomplish various missions. Namely, cadets have to learn complicated internatinal situations and distinct foreign cultures, oral communication, and global communication using social media via internet in detail.

program. Cadets study in one of the 14 existing departments, while systematically taking new disciplines that transcend the boundaries of the departments, with the aim of acquiring expertise and improving comprehensive problem-solving skills from an interdisciplinary perspective. After a cadet chooses a program, he or she takes required classes designated by the program during three years from 2nd year (Sophomore) to 4th year cadets (Senior). For Safety Science program, a cadet will take courses that the program tailored for each department.
 After completion of the criteria of each program, a cadet receives a program completion certification. The best performers of programs are awarded by the NDA’s president in the academic degree award ceremony.