Sapporo Medical University

What Sapporo Medical University does

Sapporo Medical University (札幌医科大学) is a public medical university operated by the Hokkaido Public University Corporation (北海道公立大学法人), founded in 1950 and headquartered in central Sapporo. It delivers undergraduate medical education through a six-year Faculty of Medicine program, health sciences education (nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiological sciences) through the Faculty of Health Sciences, and graduate programs producing master's and doctoral degrees. The institution operates a wholly-owned teaching hospital — Sapporo Medical University Hospital (札幌医科大学附属病院) — providing tertiary clinical care across multiple specialties, and runs an embedded referral network of 472 regional medical facilities across Hokkaido with 2,109 documented referral cases.

The university's product portfolio centers on academic programs (medical, health sciences, graduate, and a midwifery specialization), clinical services via the affiliated hospital, and specialized centers including the Cancer Consultation Salon, Infectious Disease Medical Education and Support Center, and Musculoskeletal Center. It also operates a sub-brand, the Ain-Nitori Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Department (アイン・ニトリ緩和医療学・支持療法学講座), funded by Ain Pharmacies and Nitori. In August 2025, it signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with TOPPAN Inc. to develop DICTOR, a medical professional support service that demonstrated a 98% patient understanding rate and reduced explanation time to one-third of conventional methods; TOPPAN launched an operational support service based on these demonstrations in April 2026, with planned nationwide rollout to large hospitals.

The business model is that of a Japanese public university corporation: revenue derives primarily from government operating subsidies, tuition fees set at national university standards, and clinical revenue from the affiliated hospital. The university has launched a crowdfunding channel (Readyfor) and an 80th anniversary donation drive to diversify funding. President and Chairman Toshihiko Yamashita leads the institution. There are no private equity or venture capital ownership stakes, and the entity is not publicly traded.

Name

Sapporo Medical University

Legal name

北海道公立大学法人 札幌医科大学 (Hokkaido Public University Corporation Sapporo Medical University)

Website

https://web.sapmed.ac.jp/

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Sapporo Medical University is a public medical university in Hokkaido, Japan, operating faculties of medicine and health sciences, graduate programs, and an affiliated teaching hospital that anchors a referral network of 472 regional facilities across Hokkaido.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Education and Healthcare Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211), Outpatient Care Centers (6214)

SIC

Services-Hospitals (8060), Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Schools (MD/DO Granting) (EDAHAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Allied Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Schools (PT/OT/SLP, etc.) (EDAHAGAH), Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

Keywords

• Medical education
• Healthcare services
• Clinical training
• Medical research
• Public university

Headquarters

HQ city

Sapporo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Educational Services: Public university providing medical education to undergraduate and graduate students. Revenue from tuition fees and government subsidies.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Sapporo Medical University is a public medical university operating two undergraduate faculties (Medicine and Health Sciences), a Graduate School offering master's and doctoral degrees, and an affiliated teaching hospital delivering multi-specialty clinical care. Its offerings comprise degree-track medical and health sciences education, residency and continuing professional training, advanced specialty medical treatment (including cancer, infectious disease, and musculoskeletal care), and clinical research. The university additionally operates specialized patient support services such as the Palliative Care and Cancer Consultation Salon.

Product overview

Sapporo Medical University operates as an educational and medical institution comprising the School of Medicine (医学部), School of Health Sciences (保健医療学部), affiliated hospital (附属病院), and specialized centers including the Cancer Consultation Salon, Infectious Disease Medical Education and Support Center, and Musculoskeletal Center. The university's product portfolio centers on medical education, healthcare services, and specialized medical research programs delivered through its academic departments and clinical facilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• アイン・ニトリ緩和医療学・支持療法学講座 (Ain-Nitori Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care Department): Specialized department for palliative care and supportive therapy for cancer patients, funded by Ain Pharmacies and Nitori

Products and services

• Sapporo Medical University Hospital (札幌医科大学附属病院) Affiliated teaching hospital of Sapporo Medical University providing comprehensive medical care across multiple specialties including surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, and cancer treatment; serves as the primary clinical teaching facility for medical students and residents.
• School of Medicine (医学部) Six-year medical education program training future physicians, with clinical training at the affiliated Sapporo Medical University Hospital. Designed for prospective students entering through national entrance examinations.
• School of Health Sciences (保健医療学部) Undergraduate programs in nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and radiological sciences producing qualified allied health professionals. Achieves a 99.8% nursing qualification pass rate.
• Graduate School (大学院) Graduate programs in medical research and health sciences leading to master's and doctoral degrees; designed for graduate students and researchers pursuing advanced medical research training and academic advancement.
• Palliative Care and Cancer Consultation Salon (緩和ケア・がん相談サロン) Provides psychological support, information services, and community activities (yoga classes, walking groups, learning sessions) for cancer patients and their families. Operated by the Medical Coordination and Welfare Center of the affiliated hospital.
• Musculoskeletal Center (運動器センター) Provides comprehensive care for sports medicine, orthopedics, and rehabilitation services. Operates as a specialized center for musculoskeletal treatment and sports medicine within the affiliated hospital.
• Infectious Disease Medical Education and Support Center (札幌医科大学附属感染症医療教育・支援センター) Specialized center for infectious disease education and training medical professionals in infection control and preparedness for future epidemics. Operates the certified nurse in infection management training course.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93.4% medical examination pass rate over 10 years
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• TOPPAN Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Comprehensive cooperation agreement signed August 1, 2025 for demonstration experiments of DICTOR medical professional support service. Service aims to achieve 98% patient understanding rate and reduce explanation time to one-third of conventional methods. Service launching April 2026 with planned expansion to large hospitals nationwide to advance medical DX and reduce regional medical disparities in Japan.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Tohoku University (School of Medicine & Tohoku University Hospital): A top national university with a large medical school, graduate research programs, and major university hospital in northern Japan, competing for the same regional research funding, faculty talent, and graduate placement.
• Hokkaido University (School of Medicine & Hokkaido University Hospital): The flagship national university in Hokkaido, with a much larger medical school and hospital that overlaps in regional workforce development and research but operates at a significantly larger scale and broader scope.
• Nigata University (Faculty of Medicine & Niigata University Medical & Dental Hospital): A national university with a medical school and university hospital serving a northern Japan region, structurally comparable as an integrated public medical education and clinical care institution.
• Tokyo Medical and Dental University: A national university specializing in medical and dental education with a major hospital, comparable as a publicly funded research-intensive medical university, though operating at a substantially larger and more nationally recognized scale.
• Kyushu University (Faculty of Medical Sciences & Kyushu University Hospital): A national university with a large medical school and university hospital pursuing leading research output and clinical training, comparable as a publicly funded integrated medical education and delivery institution.

Direct peers

• Hamamatsu University School of Medicine: A national university medical school with an affiliated hospital covering education, research, and regional medicine, mirroring Sapporo Medical University's integrated medical education and clinical delivery model.
• Hirosaki University (School of Medicine & Hospital): A national university with a medical school, health sciences faculty, and university hospital serving a northern Japan prefecture, providing a closely comparable direct peer in mission, structure, and regional healthcare role.
• Kitasato University: A private university operating a medical school, health sciences programs, and affiliated hospitals, comparable in offering and in combining medical education with clinical delivery and research.
• Asahikawa Medical University: The other public medical university in Hokkaido, operating a medical school, health sciences programs, and an affiliated hospital with a similar regional workforce-development mission and comparable scale.
• University of Fukui (Faculty of Medical Sciences): A national university combining medical education, health sciences, and an affiliated hospital to serve regional healthcare needs, structurally similar to Sapporo Medical University's three-pillar model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SMU_PR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCE1Dz79Aw9yModBENuAw9GA

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Sapporo Medical University