Akita International University, has received high marks for its international liberal arts education, and it is the major trend among colleges and universities around the world to move toward such an education. Our university offers students an “international liberal arts education,” as its founding idea is to educate them to become talented world citizens able to play active roles in our global society. The notion of “liberal arts” (kyoyo in Japanese) originated in the foundation of education in ancient Greece. Known as “artes liberales,” it refers to the arts of the education of the whole person (zenjin kyoiku) that are needed for us to become free beings.Two thousand five hundred years have passed since then, and we may ask why the world is moving toward liberal arts higher education in general, and international liberal arts education in particular. The knowledge based global society of the 21st century seeks capable human beings with a fully developed human power of intellect, physical strength, ethics, and so forth. Thus, in order for society to bring forth human beings that embody diverse abilities and competencies needed to take an active part in our global society, we need education of the whole person in arts and sciences in that students must first liberate themselves from the values and conventions that have shaped them, and then develop a new self with international perspectives. This is “international liberal arts education,” and our university is at the forefront of developing such an education in Japan.