Over the years, the university has maintained its commitment to innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and to offering practical, personalized, hands-on experience, with the aim of preparing its graduates to prosper in a workforce that is ever-increasingly integrated with information technology.

Dr. Matsuo specialized in radio wave engineering and wireless communication at the Japanese Ministry of Communications, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (NTT), and Nippon Broadcasting System, Inc. Matsuo anticipated the widespread adoption of computers and information technology in Japanese daily life, and the need to foster computer literacy to accommodate the needs of a changing workforce.

In 1968, Matsuo founded 電子開発学園 (Denshi Kaihatsu Gakuen, or the Electronics Development Computer College), a group of technical schools across Japan with a focus on information technology.

The eDC Group, and its individual constituent entities, are still sometimes referred to by the older Japanese moniker, Denshi Kaihatsu Gakuen.

(4) Hokkaido Institute of Information Technology (HiiT) is a research center adjacent to HIU, involved with satellite-based communications networking and the development of multimedia systems.