The KCG Group, consisting of Kyoto Computer Guraduate Institute of Informatics (KCGI), Kyoto Computer Gakuin (KCG), and Kyoto College of Global Motor Vehicles (KCGM), celebrated its 63rd anniversary on May 1, 2026, and held a foundation ceremony on Friday, May 8, at the 6th floor main hall of KCG Kyoto Ekimae Campus and KCGI Kyoto Ekimae Satellite.KCGI's corporate name will be changed in 2025, and the KCG Group has entered a new stage as "The University of Informatics.At the commemorative ceremony, students, faculty, and staff reaffirmed the pioneering spirit and educational philosophy of the university, as well as the importance of their responsibility to play a central role in the ever-evolving information society, and pledged to take on the challenge of achieving even greater heights.To commemorate the 63rd anniversary, KCGI Professor Yuki Kitaoka, a physician and vice president of Kyoto Okamoto Memorial Hospital, gave a lecture on "The Frontiers of Medical DX: Information Technology Opens the Way to a Sustainable Society".
The cornerstone of the KCG group is the "FORTRAN Research Group" for university academics, which was established on May 1, 1963 by a group of graduates from the Department of Astrophysics, Graduate School of Astrophysics, Kyoto University.The founder, Shigeo Hasegawa, the first president of the school, and Yasuko Hasegawa, the current president, were among the first to recognize the potential of computers and created this first computer education institution in Japan with the belief, passion, and pioneering spirit of training information processing engineers.
In 1969, Kyoto Computer Gakuin, Japan's first full-time school for the training of computer engineers, was established.In 2004, KCGI was founded as the first and only IT professional graduate school in Japan.Since then, the school has continued to grow, with more than 50,000 graduates and alumni contributing to the development and traction of the IT industry in Japan and around the world.In 2013, KCGM joined the ranks of the oldest auto mechanic training schools in Kyoto.Graduates are working as automotive maintenance technicians with IT knowledge.
Professor Kitaoka graduated from Mie University School of Medicine, holds a PhD in Medicine from Kyoto University, and a PhD in Policy Science from Doshisha University.He specializes in reproductive molecular physiology, medical informatics, information systems, and policy science, and is currently the Vice President (Director of Clinical Research Center) of Kyoto Okamoto Memorial Hospital.In 2017, when KCG established the Department of Medical Administration (now the Department of IT Medical Administration), it concluded an industry-academia collaboration agreement with the National Hospital Organization Kyoto Medical Center, and Professor Kitaoka, then Director of the Medical Information Department at the Center, joined KCG's educational activities.They are also actively involved in teaching medical information-related classes in the IT Medical Administration Department and the Medical Information Course of the Department of Applied Informatics, as well as inviting students to internship training programs at hospitals.In April 2026, he was appointed Professor at KCGI and Director of the KCG Group Health Care Center.
In his commemorative lecture, Professor Kitaoka pointed out that the issues currently pressing the medical industry are "work style reform," "unbalanced distribution of doctors," and "regional medical care concept," and explained that a solution by medical DX is expected.As a concrete example of a solution, he elaborated on the hospital portal introduced by Kyoto Okamoto Memorial Hospital as a "ground-up DX practice," and also introduced the construction of a medical system utilizing generative AI.DX is more than just 'IT implementation.The pioneering spirit of our predecessors, who 63 years ago regarded computers as a culture, now needs your help on the front lines of medicine.I urge you to study hard, find your own themes, produce your own products, and pioneer the next era with your own technology.
