# List of national universities in Japan

As of 2013, there were 86 national universities(国立大学, kokuritsu daigaku), 90 public universities and 606 private universities in Japan. National universities tend to be held in higher regard in higher education in Japan than private or public universities.
As of the 2019 fiscal year, the number of national universities, 86, is unchanged, while the number of public universities increased to 93 and private universities increased to 607 compared with 2013.

## History

In 2004, the national university system underwent partial privatization. Since 2004, each national university has been incorporated as a National University Corporation (国立大学法人, kokuritsu daigaku hōjin) and given limited autonomy in its operations. Faculty and staff are no longer government employees (国家公務員, kokka kōmuin) working for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. University names which shifted are "graduate university" (大学院大学, daigakuin daigaku).

## Designated National Universities

In April 2017, an amendment to the National University Corporation Act enabled the classification of national university corporations as “Designated National University Corporations”, with the stated aims of significantly improving the education and research levels of Japanese universities. As of 2021 a total of 10 national universities have been thus selected by the MEXT.
List of Designated National Universities in Japan :
| University | Name Change | Location | Designated Time |
| The University of Tokyo | former Tokyo Imperial University | Tokyo | June 2017 |
| Kyoto University | former Kyoto Imperial University | Kyoto | June 2017 |
| Tohoku University | former Tohoku Imperial University | Sendai | June 2017 |
| Tokyo Institute of Technology | now Institute of Science Tokyo | Tokyo | March 2018 |
| Nagoya University | former Nagoya Imperial University | Nagoya | March 2018 |
| Osaka University | former Osaka Imperial University | Osaka | October 2018 |
| Hitotsubashi University | former Tokyo University of Commerce | Tokyo | September 2019 |
| University of Tsukuba | former Tokyo University of Education | Tsukuba | October 2020 |
| Tokyo Medical and Dental University | now Institute of Science Tokyo | Tokyo | October 2020 |
| Kyushu University | former Kyushu Imperial University | Fukuoka | November 2021 |

## List of national universities

The list is in alphabetical order:
* Aichi University of Education
* Akita University
* Asahikawa Medical University
* Chiba University
* Ehime University
* Fukuoka University of Education
* Fukushima University
* Gifu University
* The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI)
* Gunma University
* Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
* Hirosaki University
* Hiroshima University
* Hokkaido University (former Hokkaido Imperial University)
* Hokkaido University of Education
* Hyogo University of Teacher Education
* Ibaraki University
* Iwate University
* Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (JAIST)
* Joetsu University of Education
* Kagawa University
* Kagoshima University
* Kanazawa University
* Kitami Institute of Technology
* Kobe University
* Kochi University
* Kumamoto University
* Kyoto Institute of Technology
* Kyoto University of Education
* Kyushu Institute of Technology
* Mie University
* Miyagi University of Education
* Muroran Institute of Technology
* Nagaoka University of Technology
* Nagasaki University
* Nagoya Institute of Technology
* Nara Institute of Science and Technology
* Nara University of Education
* Nara Women's University
* Naruto University of Education
* National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
* National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
* Niigata University
* Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
* Ochanomizu University
* Oita University
* Okayama University
* Osaka Kyoiku University
* Otaru University of Commerce
* Saga University
* Saitama University
* Shiga University
* Shiga University of Medical Science
* Shimane University
* Shinshu University
* Shizuoka University
* Tokushima University
* Tokyo Gakugei University
* Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
* Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
* Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
* Tokyo University of the Arts
* Tottori University
* Toyohashi University of Technology
* Tsukuba University of Technology
* University of Electro-Communications
* University of Fukui
* University of Miyazaki
* University of the Ryukyus
* University of Toyama
* University of Yamanashi
* Utsunomiya University
* Wakayama University
* Yamagata University
* Yamaguchi University
* Yokohama National University

## Exceptions

Although The Open University of Japan and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology are founded by the national government's initiatives and heavily subsidised by the government, they are classified as private.