NLCS Kobe secures $53M loan to build Mount Rokko campus
What's the deal? Hakko LRDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the Osaka-based operator of British international school NLCS Kobe, has completed an US$63.8M syndicated loan to fund a new campus inside Japan's Mount Rokko National Park. Resona BankDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → arranged the facility alongside five other lenders, with drawdown set for August 31, 2026.
What's the endgame? The loan covers construction of the Rokkosan Campus, a six-building complex including classrooms, an auditorium, a gymnasium, and dormitories. Total project cost runs to roughly US$73.4M, of which about US$17.9M comes from subsidies.
Why now? NLCS Kobe opened a junior school on Kobe's Rokko Island in September 2025 and plans to open the senior school at the mountain site in 2028. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in May, and construction has begun on a campus designed by architect Michele De Lucchi.
The context: The school is the Japanese arm of North London Collegiate SchoolDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, which ranks second worldwide on average International Baccalaureate scores. Hakko LR — a luxury car dealer for brands including Land RoverDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, JaguarDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, and Aston MartinDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → — has moved into education as it builds out services for high-net-worth clients.
The campus will offer both boarding and day options, drawing students and staff from Japan and abroad. Backers frame it as a way to boost the regional economy while preserving the park's natural environment.
"The construction of the NLCS Kobe Rokkosan Campus will bring world-standard learning to Kobe," said Kazuhiko Hosomi, manager of Resona Bank's Abenobashi branch (translated from Japanese).
Chief executive officer Kohachi Ikeda said the company drew on "the relationships of trust we have built with customers" through its car business to move into education.
The signal: Debt financing of this scale for a single international school is unusual, signalling that lenders see steady demand from wealthy families for elite, globally branded education in Japan — and a regional development play to match.
Read more: prtimes.jp
