What 留学情報館（Ryugaku Information Center） does

留学情報館 (Ryugaku Information Center) is a privately-held Japanese study abroad agency founded in 2005 in Los Angeles by CEO Otsuka Yohei and relocated to Tokyo in 2010. The company provides fee-free counseling, school placement, and end-to-end procedural support for Japanese individuals seeking language study, university admission, high school programs, working holiday experiences, and specialized programs (parent-child study abroad, IT study abroad in Cebu, and USA scholarship negotiations) across 14 countries and 2,000+ partner institutions. The customer base spans individual students (teens through 30s), parent-child families, and Japanese educational institutions via the GIP (Globalization) institutional support program adopted by 39 high schools.

The technology stack centers on the proprietary liglo mobile application (iOS/Android), which manages the application workflow (school enrollment, visa procedures, insurance, accommodation, flight bookings) and supports the EnglishPedia automated counseling website launched in 2016. The company maintains 20+ overseas support desks in destination countries staffed by local personnel with personal overseas experience, and operates physical counseling offices in Tokyo (Shinjuku), Osaka (Umeda), and Kyoto, plus Los Angeles offices. No AI/ML capabilities, patents, or API products are disclosed; the platform is fundamentally a workflow and content tool layered over human counselor expertise.

Revenue is generated primarily through commissions paid by 2,000+ partner universities and language schools (the company charges zero processing fees to customers), supplemented by insurance agency commissions via a Tokio Marine & Nichido partnership. GTM is sales-led: free online and in-person counseling sessions serve as the primary acquisition touchpoint, supported by content marketing (blog, seminars), LINE messaging, and a referral program. Toshogakuen Group made a strategic capital participation in December 2019; the company remains founder-led, with cumulative support of 25,000+ students and ~2,000 students per year.

Name

留学情報館（Ryugaku Information Center）

Legal name

株式会社留学情報館

Website

https://ryugaku-johokan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

留学情報館 (Ryugaku Information Center) is a Japanese fee-free study abroad agency placing individuals into language schools and universities across 14 countries via 2,000+ partner institutions, supporting roughly 2,000 students annually through its liglo mobile app, counseling offices in Tokyo/Osaka/Kyoto, and 20+ overseas support desks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Study Abroad Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Language School Placement Agencies & Aggregators (EDAIAEAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Outbound Exchange Advising, Placement & Nomination Services (EDAIABAL), Third-Party Short-Term Academic Program Providers (Multi-Discipline) (EDAIAIAB), International Student Academic & Personal Support (case management, referrals) (EDALANAE), Academic Support, Tutoring & Language Support for Enrolled Overseas Secondary Students (EDAIAHAK)

Keywords

• Study abroad counseling
• Overseas education services
• University admission consulting
• Language school placement
• Educational agency services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo (Shinjuku)

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. School Commission Revenue: The company charges zero processing/application fees to customers. Revenue is generated entirely from commissions paid by partner schools and educational institutions. This is the core business model enabling the 'zero fee' positioning.
2. Insurance Products (Agency): As a licensed insurance agent (損害保険募集代理店), the company also earns commissions on travel and health insurance products sold to study abroad customers, in partnership with Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

留学情報館 is a comprehensive study abroad agency providing free counseling, school placement, and end-to-end procedural support to Japanese individuals across 14 countries and 2,000+ partner universities. The firm generates revenue exclusively through referral commissions from partner schools (plus ancillary insurance commissions), enabling a zero-application-fee model for customers. A proprietary liglo mobile app and EnglishPedia web platform support application, visa, accommodation, flight, and insurance management, while specialized programs serve high school, university, parent-child, IT, work-study, and scholarship-track customers.

Product overview

留学情報館 operates as a comprehensive study abroad agency offering fee-free counseling and placement services across 14 countries and 2,000+ partner universities. The core offering is the study abroad agency service itself, supported by the proprietary liglo mobile app (iOS/Android) which serves as a unified platform for managing applications, visa procedures, accommodation, flights, and insurance. The portfolio includes specialized programs — the Global Nomad (Australia) and 実質0円カナダ留学 work-study programs, IT留学 in Cebu, TOEIC800点保証 in Los Angeles, mama-ryugaku (parent-child study in Cebu), high school study abroad, and U.S. university scholarship programs — alongside supplementary services such as online counseling, pre-departure English lessons, and post-return career support. IELTS/TOEFL test preparation is delivered through a sister-company-operated language school. The company is primarily a service-based agency rather than a software-as-a-service platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• liglo: Mobile app for managing study abroad procedures including school applications, visa applications, insurance, accommodation, and flight bookings.
• KredoKids
• EnglishPedia
• English Career
• Global Youth Division
• Global Concierge Service

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25,000 cumulative students supported; approximately 2,000 students per year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, key, supporting and minor.

• 東京海上日動火災保険株式会社coreOthersInsurance partner providing travel and health insurance products to study abroad customers. The company operates as a licensed insurance agent for Tokio Marine.
• KREDO IT ABROAD INC.keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate company managing the IT study abroad program in Cebu, Philippines. Also related entity for technology and overseas operations.
• Mentor Language InstitutekeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerRelated partner language school, likely involved in English language education programs.
• イングリッシュイノベーションズ株式会社supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner language school operating English innovation programs, associated entity for English education services.
• マルタ観光局minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMaltese Government Tourism Board partnership for promoting Malta as a study destination.
• 西班牙政府観光局 (Spain Government Tourism Board)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpanish Government Tourism Board partnership for Spain as a study destination.
• 爱尔兰旅游局 (Ireland Tourism Board)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerIrish Tourism Board partnership for Ireland as a study abroad destination.
• JAOS（一般社团法人海外留学协议会）coreOthersRegular member and board member of the Japan Association of Overseas Study Services (JAOS), the industry self-regulatory body.
• 澳大利亚新西兰名校 (Various partner universities)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor2,000+ universities across 14 countries partner with 留学情報館 as recruitment agents. Revenue comes from commissions paid by these partner institutions.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Knowledge Alliance: Japanese study abroad agency specializing in language schools across the US, Canada, and Australia. Comparable in core language-school placement focus and Japanese outbound student target market.
• IACE Travel: Long-established Japanese study abroad and travel agency offering language school placement, university admission support, and working holiday programs across multiple destination countries. Comparable in business model and target customer base.
• ICC (International Culture Corporation): Japanese study abroad agency providing language school and university pathway programs to multiple English-speaking destinations. Directly comparable as a long-established Japanese outbound study abroad competitor.
• Arrows International Education: Japanese study abroad agency with focus on overseas university admission, language schools, and credential evaluation services. Comparable in B2B institution services and individual student placement offerings.
• Ryugaku.com (留学 JAWPA member agencies): Aggregated Japanese study abroad portal connecting students to multiple agencies with comparison functionality. Directly comparable as it serves the same Japanese outbound student segments and operates in similar language school and university placement verticals.
• World Bridge (ワールドブリッジ): Japanese study abroad agency focused on language schools, university admission, and working holiday placements across Western destinations. Comparable in scale, customer segment, and commission-based revenue model.
• IEPI (留学ワールド): One of Japan's largest study abroad agencies, offering language school, university, and working-holiday placement with similar commission-based economics. Directly comparable as a domestic Japanese outbound study abroad agency competing for the same student segments.
• Smash (スミス留学): Japan-focused study abroad agency specializing in Philippines language schools and IT study programs in Cebu — directly overlapping with Ryugaku Information Center's Philippines and IT study abroad offerings.

Broad incumbents

• JTB (Japan Travel Bureau): Japan's largest travel agency with a study abroad division offering language programs, university placement, and working holiday services as part of a much broader travel portfolio. Comparable in offering but competes from a much larger incumbent position.

Others

• Tosho Printing Group (図書印刷グループ): Strategic investor in Ryugaku Information Center (capital participation December 2019) and operates adjacent education-publishing and educational services businesses. Relevant as a strategic shareholder and adjacent education-services peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/yoheiotsuka
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCy6J5Rk1c0o0iFdKcUJLk4w
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%EF%BC%88%E6%A0%AA%EF%BC%89%E7%95%99%E5%AD%A6%E6%83%85%E5%A0%B1%E9%A4%A8

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 留学情報館（Ryugaku Information Center）