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NVLU is the oldest private veterinary school in Japan. It was cofounded in 1881 by nine young veterinary officers under the age of 30 with the aim of training veterinary technicians when the task of developing the livestock industry in Japan was an urgent priority. It was originally located in Gokokuji in modern-day Otowa, Bunkyo City, Tokyo. The temple was built by Shogun Tsunayoshi Tokugawa, who issued the famous edict against cruelty to all living beings. Although the school was temporarily closed in 1889, it reopened in 1892 as the Tokyo Veterinary School. The school’s educational policy at the time was to ensure technical and theoretical balance in training veterinary practicians equipped with the skills and techniques to care for animals in real-life situations. The school song, which was composed in 1939, continues to portray the spirit that forms the basis of the NVLU creed and educational philosophy: “It is for our country that we care and protect the blessings of nature, blessed are those who respect each other and live in harmony, working diligently at the sacred work of love and science.” The school was revived in 1949 as the Nippon Veterinary and Zootechnical College with a department of veterinary science and a department of animal husbandry. In 1952, it came under the umbrella of the Nippon Medical School Foundation, which has the longest history among private medical universities. At present, the school has a Faculty of Veterinary Science (FVS), which includes a School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) and a School of Veterinary Nursing and Technology (SVNT); and a Faculty of Applied Life Science (FALS), which includes a School of Animal Science (SAS) and a School of Food Science and Technology (SFST).