Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance
Systems - Japan ﴾Third Edition﴿
September 2019

First edition published in September 2009
Second edition published in July 2014

National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education
﴾NIAD-QE﴿

1-29-1 Gakuen-nishimachi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8587 Japan
https://www.niad.ac.jp/

Content on this publication is licensed under a Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Preface
The National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education

﴾NIAD-QE﴿ is working closely with domestic and overseas quality assurance agencies, in addition to its
core activities of university evaluation, awarding of degrees and conducting research activities.
NIAD-QE works with countries that have close ties with Japan as well as those with advanced higher
education systems, to ensure credibility of Japanese higher education in the international communityand promote international collaboration among higher education institutions.

As each country possesses different political, societal, cultural and language elements, higher

education systems and the structure of quality assurance systems for higher education also differ. In

building relationships and realizing effective cooperation that transcend such barriers, as well as
promoting globalization and mobility of students and academics, mutual understanding must be
enhanced among cooperating organizations by exchanging accurate information on their respective
quality assurance and higher education systems.

The Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualification in Higher Education

﴾known as the Tokyo Convention﴿ of UNESCO entered into force in February 2018 with the aim ofpromoting the international mobility of students and academics. Signatories to this convention,
including Japan, are requested to provide information on the higher education system, qualifications,and a list of recognized and/or accredited higher education institutions of their own country. This
exchange of information is required for the smooth recognition of academic qualifications when

students cross international borders. Japan’s official national information center ﴾NIC﴿, the National

Information Center for Academic Recognition Japan, has been established within NIAD-QE in
September 2019 to disseminate information about higher education in Japan.

Under such circumstances, NIAD-QE has compiled recent trends and published the third edition of“Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan” in both English andJapanese. This new edition includes updated information related to the smooth recognition of higher

education qualification, such as Japanese higher education qualifications and admission requirements
to Japanese higher education institutions. In regards to quality assurance, information about recent

trends such as revision in legislation about the Certified Evaluation and Accreditation ﴾CEA﴿ system isalso included.

NIAD-QE has developed the “information package” as a means for providing comprehensive

information on higher education and quality assurance systems in Japan and other countries. We haveso far compiled information of higher education and quality assurance systems of Japan, the UnitedStates of America, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, China, and Korea.
PDF of this document is also available from our website:
https://www.niad.ac.jp/english/cqa/information.html

We would like to thank the many people who contributed in creating this document, in particular,

the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

September 2019

National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education

﴾NIAD-QE﴿

Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan (Third Edition)

1
1

Contents
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2.

Basic Information About Japan ··············································································· 4
The Higher Education System ·················································································· 5

1-1.

Japanese Education System ························································································································· 5

1.

Overview of the Education System ······················································································································· 5

2.

1-2.

History of the Higher Education System ································································································ 6

2-1.

Definition of Higher Education Institution ····························································································· 9Types of Higher Education Institutions and Qualifications ········································································· 92-2.

Higher Education Qualifications and Awarding Institutions ···························································112-2-1.

University ··············································································································································12

2-2-3.

Professional Training College ﴾Specialized Training College that Offers

2-2-4.

Educational Institution Operated by Government Ministries and Agencies ··············16

2-2-2.

2-3.

Post-Secondary Course﴿ ···············································································································15

Degrees Awarded by NIAD-QE ··················································································································17

2-4.

Number of Credits ···········································································································································18

2-6.

Number of Higher Education Institutions, Students, Faculty and Staff ······································20

3-1.

Admission Eligibility ········································································································································21

2-5.

3.

College of Technology ·····················································································································15

Qualification Framework and Learning Outcome ···············································································19

Admission to Higher Education Institution ·······································································································21
3-1-1.

3-1-2.

3-1-3.

3-1-4.
3-2.

Admission to College of Technology ·························································································23

Admission to Professional Training College ············································································24

Admission to Educational Institution Operated by Government Ministries

and Agencies ·······································································································································24

Entrance Examinations ···································································································································24

3-2-1.

University ··············································································································································24

3-2-3.

Professional Training College ········································································································26

3-2-2.

3-2-4.

4.

Admission to University ··················································································································21

College of Technology ·····················································································································25

Educational Institution Operated by Government Ministries and Agencies ··············26

Agencies Responsible for Higher Education ·····································································································26

5.

Organizations Related to Higher Education ·····································································································26

6.

Student Union and Student Participation in University Administration ················································277.

Admission and Tuition Fees ····································································································································278.

Major Scholarship Loans and Grants ···················································································································289.

Student Status at Higher Education Institutions ·····························································································29

11.

Major Laws and Regulations Pertaining to Higher Education ·································································2910.

Information for International Students ············································································································29

11-1.
11-2.

11-3.

Foundations of Higher Education ·············································································································29Standards for Establishment of Higher Education Institutions ······················································29Awarding Degrees ···········································································································································29《Notes and References on Chapter 2》 ··························································································································30

22Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan (Third Edition)

Chapter 3.
1.

The Quality Assurance System ··································································································· 33

Outline of Quality Assurance System for Higher Education in Japan ·····················································332.

Approval/Notification System for Establishment and Institutional Certified Evaluation andAccreditation ﴾CEA﴿ system ·····································································································································35

2-1.

Approval/Notification System for Establishment of Universities and Colleges ·························35

2-3.

Corrective Actions Ordered by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and

2-2.

3.

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation ﴾CEA﴿ System ··········································································38
Technology If a University or College Fails to Comply with Laws and Regulations ·················39

Historical Background················································································································································40

QualityQuality
Assuranceby Academic Discipline········································································································42
Other
Assurance···································
Quality Assurance by Academic Discipline as Stated in Laws Regarding Educational
Activities - Certified Evaluation and Accreditation by Academic Discipline ·······························42
4-2. Other Quality Assurance of Educational Activities by Academic Discipline ·······························43
4-2-1. Quality Assurance by Academic Discipline Conducted by Private Organizationsin Japan ··················································································································································43
4-2-2. Quality Assurance of Japanese Universities by Academic Discipline Conductedby International Accrediting Organizations ············································································44
4-3. Various Evaluation Activities ··························································································································45
4-3-1. National University Corporation Evaluation ············································································45
4-3-2. Public University Corporation Evaluation ·················································································46
4-3-3. Ministry Efforts Related to School Corporation Management ········································46
4-3-4. Evaluation of Specialized Training Colleges ············································································47
4-3-5. Thematic Evaluations························································································································47
5. History of Quality Assurance System ···················································································································48
6. Major Laws and Regulations Related to Quality Assurance ·······································································51《References on Chapter 3》 ················································································································································52
4.

4-1.

Figures and Tables
Figure 1 Organization of the School System in Japan ······························································································· 8

Figure 2 Higher Education Pathway and Qualifications·····························································································21
Figure 3 The Quality Assurance System for Higher Education in Japan: Approval of Establishment

and Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities·······················································································33

Table 1
Table 2
Table 3

List of Higher Education Qualifications and Awarding Institutions·····················································11

Number of HEIs ﴾by Establishment Type﴿ ······································································································20
Number of Students Enrolled in HEIs ﴾by Establishment Type﴿ ····························································20

Table 4

Number of Full-time Faculty and Staff in HEIs ﴾by Establishment Type﴿ ···········································20

Table 6

Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾Junior College﴿ ·········································································27

Table 5

Table 7

Table 8

Table 9Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾University﴿ ··················································································27
Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾Graduate School﴿ ····································································27

Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾College of Technology﴿ ·························································27

JASSO Scholarship Loans and Grants ··············································································································28

Table 10 List of Standards for Institutional CEA of Universities ··············································································41
Table 11 List of Institutional Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Organizations ······································41
Table 12 List of Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Organizations for Professional Graduate

Schools ········································································································································································42

Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan (Third Edition)

33

Chapter 1.

Basic Information About Japan・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
CountryJapan

CapitalTokyo

Major Language of Instruction

Japanese

Total Population﴾1﴿

126,309,690

GDP﴾2﴿

4,872 billion USD

GDP per Capita﴾2﴿

38,220 USD

Total public expenditure on
education as a percentage of total
government expenditure﴾3﴿

All levels of education: 8.0% (OECD average: 11.1%)

Total expenditure on educational
institutions as a percentage ofGDP﴾3﴿

All levels of education: 4.1% ﴾OECD average: 5.0%﴿

﴾As of February 1, 2019﴿

﴾2017﴿

﴾2017﴿

﴾2015﴿

﴾2015﴿

Total expenditure on primary totertiary education per student﴾3﴿
﴾2015﴿

First-Time Entry Rates, by Tertiary
Level ﴾3﴿
﴾2016﴿

Number of Higher Education
Institutions ﴾HEIs﴿﴾4﴿

Higher education: 1.7% (OECD average: 3.0%)

Higher education: 1.4% ﴾OECD average: 1.5%﴿
12,120 USD ﴾OECD average: 10,520 USD﴿Overall80%

JuniorCollege
Level
28%

Undergraduate
Level

Master’s
Level

Doctoral
Level

9%

1.2%

50%

Universities

Colleges ofTechnology

Professional
Training
Colleges

1,113

57

2,776

﴾As of May 1, 2018﴿

Education
institutions
operated bygovernment
ministries &agencies
3

Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications ﴾2019, August 1﴿. Population Census (July 2019).
Retrieved from https://www.stat.go.jp/data/jinsui/pdf/201907.pdf
﴾2﴿
United Nations Statistics Division ﴾2019, August 1﴿. National Accounts – Analysis of Main Aggregates ﴾AMA﴿.
Retrieved from https://unstats.un.org/unsd/snaama/CountryProfile/﴾3﴿
OECD ﴾2019, August 1﴿. Education at a Glance 2018: OECD Indicators. pp. 205, 254, 266, 288.
Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/eag-2018-en
﴾4﴿
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ﴾MEXT﴿ ﴾2019, August 1﴿. AY2018 School Basic Survey.
Retrieved from http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/toukei/chousa01/kihon/kekka/k_detail/1407849.htm<Note> Calculated based on Japan’s HEIs ﴾excluding Prefectural Colleges of Agriculture﴿ as defined by UNESCO’s “TheAsia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education”. Education institutions operated
by government ministries and agencies that meet these criteria are National College of Nursing, Japan, Polytechnic University,
and National Fisheries University.
﴾1﴿

4
4

Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan (Third Edition)

The HigherThe
Education
SystemHigher Education
SystemChapter
Chapter22

Chapter 2.

The Higher Education System

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
1. Overview of the Education System
1-1. Japanese Education System
The Japanese educational system starts with pre-school education, followed by 6 years ofelementary education, then 6 years of secondary education ﴾3 years of lower secondary and 3 years ofupper secondary education﴿, which leads to a wide range of higher education. The 9 years ofelementary and lower secondary education cover compulsory education.

There are kindergartens ﴾幼稚園 yochien﴿, day care centers ﴾保育所 hoikusho﴿, and “centers for earlychildhood education and care” ﴾ 認定こども園 nintei-kodomo-en﴿ for pre-school education. As forelementary and secondary education, typical educational institutions include elementary schools ﴾小学校 shogakko﴿ for elementary education and lower secondary schools ﴾中学校 chugakko﴿ and upper

secondary schools ﴾高等学校 kotogakko﴿ for secondary education. There are also schools for special

needs education ﴾ 特別支援学校 tokubetsu-shien-gakko﴿ [departments of kindergarten, elementary,lower secondary, and upper secondary] for children and students with disabilities.

In addition, in 1998, it became possible to establish 6-year Secondary Education Schools ﴾中等教育

学校 chuto-kyoiku-gakko﴿ which combine lower and upper secondary education, and in 2016, it became

possible to establish Compulsory Education Schools ﴾義務教育学校 gimu-kyoiku-gakko﴿ which combine

elementary and lower secondary education.

For upper division of Secondary Education Schools and upper secondary schools, there are also

schools that offer part-time courses ﴾定時制 teiji-sei﴿ in the evening or at other specific times andperiods, correspondence courses ﴾通信制 tsushin-sei﴿ that offer distance education, and 高等専修学校
koto-senshu-gakko which is Upper Secondary Courses of Specialized Training Colleges ﴾専修学校高等課程

senshu-gakko-koto-katei﴿.

Types of higher education institutions ﴾HEIs﴿, higher education qualifications, and admissions aredescribed in the following sections.

Academic Calendar
Governed by law, the academic year for elementary and secondary education institutions andColleges of Technology starts on April 1 and ends on March 31. At universities and Specialized Training
Colleges, rectors or presidents determine the beginning and end of the academic year for their

institutions. At upper secondary schools, upper secondary department of schools for special needs
education, and universities, matriculation and graduation of students may take place in the middle ofan academic year according to the division of academic term of each institution.

Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan (Third Edition)

55

Many universities in Japan use a semester system ﴾first semester from April to September, andsecond semester from October to March﴿, but there are also some universities that use trimester orquarter systems.
REFERENCE

Number of universities admitting students at times other than April ﴾AY2016﴿
Undergraduate programs:

Graduate programs:

265 universities ﴾36% of total﴿

318 graduate schools ﴾52% of total﴿

1-2. History of the Higher Education System
The modern Japanese school education system originated with the promulgation of the

Educational System in 1872. The system was changed to reflect the democratization policies in

education immediately following the end of WWII. With the enactment of the Constitution in 1947, theBasic Act on Education ﴾ 教育基本法 kyoiku-kihon-ho﴿ and the School Education Act ﴾ 学 校教育法

gakko-kyoiku-ho﴿ were enacted to ensure equal opportunities in education. The higher education

system was consolidated into “universities” in line with the formulation of the 6-3-3-4 school year
system.

The system for Colleges of Technology ﴾高等専門学校 koto-senmon-gakko﴿ was established in 1961

to provide a unified five-year period of education for secondary school graduates in response toincreased needs for diverse human resources due to rapid industrial and economic development. In
1964, two- to three-year junior college programs, which had been established temporarily until then,were made into a permanent system under the School Education Act. Since then, the number ofJapanese HEIs increased rapidly, especially with the rise of private universities. The percentage ofnational universities among all universities in the country, which was 31.6% in 1955, decreased to 11.1%
in 2016.

In the context of the popularization of higher education in the 1970’s, the percentage of students

who attended universities or junior colleges more than doubled from 16.1% in 1966 to 38.6% in 1976.

How to maintain and enhance the quality of higher education was raised as a major political task. The

Central Council for Education ﴾中央教育審議会 chuo-kyoiku-shingikai﴿ set up in the Ministry of Education

﴾currently MEXT﴿ reported on reforms of the entire school education system in 1971. The report
recommended that the government should secure quality of higher education by making systematicclassification of institutions, managing the size and plans of all HEIs appropriately, and taking fiscal

measures. In response, the government introduced the Private Education Institution Aid System ﴾私学助
成制度 shigaku-josei-seido﴿ and developed a plan for higher education in 1975.

The Provisional Council on Educational Reform ﴾臨時教育審議会 rinji-kyoiku-shingikai﴿, the Prime

Minister’s advisory panel ﴾1984-1987﴿, recommended that the government should take actions to makethe existing education systems and laws more flexible in order to promote individualization,
diversification, and sophistication of Japanese higher education as a government policy. The Council
submitted some proposals including deregulation of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities

﴾大学設置基準 daigaku-secchi-kijun﴿, thereby enabling each institution to develop its distinctivenessunder its missions and objectives, and stressed the importance of university evaluation and information
disclosure as a means to ensure the quality of higher education.

In response to these recommendations, the Council for Higher Education ﴾ 大 学 審 議 会

daigaku-shingikai﴿ was set up in the Ministry of Education in 1987 and conducted reviews of the entire

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higher education system from three perspectives, i.e. ﴾1﴿ sophistication of education and research, ﴾2﴿

individualization of higher education, and ﴾3﴿ activation of university organization. As a result, theCouncil for Higher Education published a report on a flexible graduate school system in December
1988 followed by February 1991 recommendations on further actions including: deregulation of theStandards for the Establishment of Universities to promote individualization of learning contents andmethods, revision of the academic degree system, implementation of institutional self-assessment,
management of graduate schools from quantitative approaches, and establishment of newdegree-awarding organizations.

As the need for practical education specialized for fostering highly professional human resources

was pointed out in the 1998 report, in 2003, for further development to fulfill such needs, Professional

Graduate Schools ﴾専門職大学院 senmonshoku-daigakuin﴿ were established, Certified Evaluation andAccreditation ﴾CEA﴿ System was established as a third-party evaluation, and revision of the Act on

Special Districts for Structural Reform ﴾構造改革特別区域法 kozo-kaikaku-tokubetsu-kuiki-ho﴿ allowed
corporations to enter into university management. In 2004, corporatization of national universities andestablishment of the public university corporation system were carried out.

The Central Council for Education ﴾the Council for Higher Education was integrated into thiscouncil in the 2001 restructuring of the Ministries﴿ published two reports in 2005: “A Vision for the
Future of Higher Education in Japan” in January and “Graduate School Education in the New Age:
Towards the Development of Internationally Attractive Graduate School Education” in September.

These reports recommended the introduction of more rigorous criteria for assessment of academic
achievements and improvement in the content of graduate school education. This led to thegovernment’s policies in April 2008 to further improve education, such as explicit indication ofacademic assessment criteria and making faculty development ﴾FD﴿ activities mandatory.

In December 2006, the Basic Act on Education was revised substantially for the first time in about

60 years, and the definition of a university was redefined. In response to this legal revision, the Central
Council for Education published two reports in December 2008: “Building Undergraduate Education”,

and “Enhancing Education at Colleges of Technology”. These two reports made recommendations forarticulating a policy on undergraduate education and enhancing education at Colleges of Technology
in order to further promote educational reform.

As for the recent movement of higher education policy, universities located in the specific district﴾23 wards of Tokyo﴿ have been restricted from increasing caps on numbers of undergraduate students,

as a 10-year time-limited measure starting from 2018. The purpose of this measure is to promote youth

study and employment in rural areas and correct “over-concentration of Tokyo”. Also in July 2014, thefifth proposal of the Council for the Implementation of Education Rebuilding ﴾ 教育再生実行会議
kyoiku-saisei-jikko-kaigi﴿ proposed institutionalization of new types of higher education institutions forpractical professional education. Then after specific system design at the Central Council for Educationand partial revision of the School Education Act in 2017, Professional and Vocational Universities ﴾専門職

大 学 senmonshoku-daigaku﴿ and Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges ﴾ 専 門 職 短 期 大 学

senmonshoku-tanki-daigaku﴿ were established within the university system. In addition, by partial
revision of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities and the Standards for the Establishmentof Junior Colleges, it became possible to establish Professional and Vocational faculties anddepartments in existing universities and junior colleges; this new system was implemented in April
2019.

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Organization of the School System in Japan
SchoolYear
18

Graduate
Schools

Standard
Age
24
23

17

Professional Graduate Schools
Professional andVocational Universities＊

Correspondence
CoursesSpecialized Training College
General Courses
MiscellaneousSpecialized Training College
Schools
Upper Secondary Courses

Professional and Vocational
Junior Colleges
Correspondence
Courses＊

22

Specialized Training College
Post‐Secondary Courses

16

Colleges ofTechnology ＊

＊

21
15
20
14
19

Correspondence
Courses13

Schools forSpecialNeeds
Education

Correspondence
Courses

Universities(undergraduate)
JuniorColleges

＊

＊

＊

＊

18
12

(Upper Div.)

17

Part‐
time
Courses11
16

Upper Secondary Schools

Upper
Sec.
Dept.

Part‐
time
Courses

10

Secondary
Education
Schools15914
8(Lower Div.)

Lower Secondary Schools(Upper Div.)

13
7
6
11
5
10
4

Compulsory
Education
Schools

Compulsory Ed.

12

Lower
Sec.
Dept.

Elementary Schools

9(Lower Div.)

Element.
Dept.

3
8
2
7
1
6
5

Centers for
Early Childhood
Education and Care

4

Kindergartens

Kinder.
Dept.

3(Notes)(1) This diagram shows schools regulated by the School Education Act.
(2) The scope of ‘higher education institutions’ subject to the UNESCO ‘Asia‐Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education’includes some educational institutions operated by government ministries and agencies (National College of Nursing, Japan; Polytechnic University; and National
Fisheries University), in addition to the above.
(3) ＊ indicates advanced courses(4) Upper secondary schools, upper division of Secondary Education Schools, universities, junior colleges, and upper secondary department of Schools for Special Needs
Education can have separate courses with course terms of 1 year or more.
(5) A child aged from 0 to 2 years old can attend Centers for Early Childhood Education and Care because it functions as school as well as child welfare institution.
(6) Age and admission requirements for Specialized Training College General Courses and Miscellaneous Schools are not defined uniformly.

Figure 188Organization of the School System in Japan

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2. Types of Higher Education Institutions and Qualifications
Japan’s higher education system includes universities, Colleges of Technology ﴾KOSEN﴿, andProfessional Training Colleges ﴾Specialized Training Colleges that offer Post-Secondary Courses﴿. Under
the category of university, there are universities ﴾undergraduate programs﴿, junior colleges, andgraduate schools. Within them, universities and junior colleges that aim to educate professionals

through a high-quality vocational education are Professional and Vocational Universities ﴾PVU﴿ andProfessional and Vocational Junior Colleges ﴾PVJC﴿, and graduate schools that specialize in fostering
highly-specialized professionals with flexible and practical education are Professional Graduate Schools.
HEIs are categorized as national, public, or private based on the establishing body.

2-1. Definition of Higher Education Institution
There is no legal definition on the scope of HEIs in Japan﴾1﴿. On the other hand, the scope of “higher

education institutions ﴾HEIs﴿” subject to the “Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of

Qualifications in Higher Education” ﴾known as “the Tokyo Convention”﴿ is defined by the “Guideline on
Recognition of Higher Education Qualification - Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of

Qualifications in Higher Education”﴾2﴿. According to this Guideline, HEIs include “universities, graduate

schools, junior colleges, Colleges of Technology, and Professional Training Colleges ﴾except forPrefectural Colleges of Agriculture﴿ as well as National College of Nursing, Japan, Polytechnic University,
and National Fisheries University amongst education institutions operated by government ministries
and agencies”. This document describes HEIs following this definition as a standard.

Higher Education Institutions Stipulated by the School Education Act
University
﴾大学
Daigaku﴿

Universities, as centers of science, shall cultivate advanced learning and specialized skills, while
contributing to the development of society by pursuing the profound truth of things, creating
new knowledge, and disseminating their outcomes throughout society. ﴾Paragraph 1, Article 7,
Basic Act on Education﴿
University
﴾Undergraduate
Program﴿
﴾学士課程
Gakushi-katei﴿

Universities, as centers of science, shall teach wide knowledge, teach andresearch arts and sciences deeply, and develop intellectual, moral, andapplied abilities. Universities conduct education and research to achieve its
purposes while contributing to the development of society by disseminating
their outcomes throughout society. ﴾Paragraphs 1 and 2, Article 83, School
Education Act﴿Professional and Vocational University ﴾PVU﴿
﴾専門職大学 Senmonshoku-daigaku﴿Within the category of universities, those of which are designed to teach andstudy arts and sciences deeply and to develop practical and applied abilities
to engage in professions that require expertise are defined as Professional
and Vocational Universities. ﴾Paragraph 1, Article 83-2, School Education Act﴿Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems - Japan (Third Edition)

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Graduate
School
﴾大学院
Daigakuin﴿Graduate Schools are designed to teach and study academic theories andapplications, and inquire deeply into them or cultivate knowledge andoutstanding ability in depth to engage in professions that require advanced
expertise, while contributing to the development of culture. ﴾Paragraph 1,
Article 99, School Education Act﴿Professional Graduate School ﴾専門職大学院 Senmonshoku-daigakuin﴿
Within the category of graduate schools, schools which are designed toteach and study academic theories and applications, and cultivate
knowledge and outstanding ability in depth to engage in professions that
require advanced expertise are defined as Professional Graduate Schools.
﴾Paragraph 2, Article 99, School Education Act﴿
Junior College
﴾短期大学
Tanki-daigaku﴿Junior colleges can be designed to teach and study arts and sciences deeply
and to develop abilities required for occupations or practical life.
﴾Paragraphs 1 and 3, Article 108, School Education Act﴿Professional and Vocational Junior College ﴾PVJC﴿
﴾専門職短期大学 Senmonshoku-tanki-daigaku﴿Within the category of junior colleges, colleges which are designed to teachand study arts and sciences deeply, and cultivate practical and appliedabilities to engage in professions that require expertise are defined as
Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges. ﴾Paragraph 4, Article 108,
School Education Act﴿

College of Technology ﴾KOSEN﴿ ﴾高等専門学校 Koto-senmon-gakko﴿
Colleges of Technology are designed to teach arts and sciences deeply and to develop abilities
required to engage in professions. Colleges of Technology conduct education to achieve its
purposes while contributing to the development of society by disseminating their outcomesthroughout society. ﴾Paragraphs 1 and 2, Article 115, School Education Act﴿Professional Training College ﴾Post-Secondary Course of Specialized Training College﴿
﴾専門学校[専修学校専門課程] Senmon-gakko [Senshu-gakko-senmon-katei]﴿
Specialized Training Colleges that have Post-Secondary Courses﴾3﴿ can be called Professional
Training Colleges. Professional Training Colleges provide systematic education to develop
abilities necessary for work and everyday life, or to enhance liberal arts, on top of the foundationof upper secondary education. ﴾Articles 124 – 126, School Education Act﴿

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2-2. Higher Education Qualifications and Awarding Institutions
Table 1
Type

List of Higher Education Qualifications and Awarding Institutions

Qualification

Awarding Institution
Standard
University

Bachelor’s degree
﴾学士 gakushi﴿

Medical, Dentistry

Pharmaceutical
Sciences ﴾Clinical﴿
Veterinary
Medical Science
NIAD-QE

Bachelor’s degree
﴾Professional﴿ ﴾学士[専門職] PVU
gakushi [senmonshoku]﴿
Associate degree
﴾短期大学士 tankidaigakushi﴿
Associate degree
﴾Professional﴿ ﴾短期大学士[専門職] tankidaigakushi[senmonshoku]﴿
Degree ﴾学位 gakui﴿

Master’s degree
﴾修士 shushi﴿

Doctoral degree
﴾博士 hakase/hakushi﴿

J.D. ﴾Juris Doctor﴿
﴾法務博士[専門職]homu-hakase/homu-hakushi[senmonshoku]﴿
Master of Education
﴾Professional﴿﴾教職修士[専門職]kyoshoku-shushi[senmonshoku]﴿

ISCED
2011﴾4﴿

124

665

188

186

766

182
-

-

665﴾5﴿

4

124

N/A

2

62

3

93
62

3

93

2

30

767

-

30

767﴾5﴿

Graduate School ﴾Doctoral
Program﴿

5

NIAD-QE
Standard ﴾except
law school,
Professional
Graduate School
for Teacher
Education﴿

N/A-﴾not required for
persons who
hold Master’s orProfessional
Degree﴿

-

1-2

30

Law School3

93

Professional
Graduate School
for Teacher
Education

2

45Standard

5167

Mercantile
Shipping

864

Graduate school,
Professional
Graduate School

Transfer touniversity, transfer
to PVU

Graduate school
﴾Doctoral program﴿

N/A

864﴾5﴿

767

554
5.5

147

Professional Training
College

2

62

554

Advanced Diploma ﴾高度専門 Professional Training
士 kodosenmonshi﴿College

4

124

554

Diploma ﴾専門士 senmonshi﴿

Further
Accessible
Education

544

2College ofTechnology

Title ﴾称号 shogo﴿

Associate﴾準学士 jungakushi﴿

6

Numberof Credits
Required

PVJC,
PVU that divides its course
into two levels ﴾the degree
is awarded to those whohave completed the firsthalf ﴾zenki﴿﴿Graduate School ﴾Master’s
Program﴿
NIAD-QE

Professional Graduate School

Professional degree﴾専門職学位 senmonshokugakui﴿

Master of xxx
﴾Professional﴿ ﴾修士[専門職] shushi[senmonshoku]﴿

Junior College

Standard
Program
Length﴾years﴿4

Graduate school
﴾Doctoral program﴿College ofTechnology
﴾Advanced Course﴿,transfer touniversity, transfer
to PVU
Transfer touniversity, transfer
to PVU
Graduate school,
Professional
Graduate School

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2-2-1. University
University ﴾Undergraduate Program﴿, Professional and Vocational University ﴾PVU﴿UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Qualification:

Bachelor’s degree

Program length:

4 yearsawardedRequirements

for graduation:

6 years for Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences ﴾Clinical﴿, andVeterinary Medical Science

Enrollment for 4 years or more and 124 or more credits earned.

For Medicine and Dentistry, enrollment for 6 years or more and 188 or morecredits earned.

For Pharmaceutical Sciences ﴾Clinical﴿, enrollment for 6 years or more and
186 or more credits earned.

For Veterinary Medical Science, enrollment for 6 years or more and 182 or
Early graduation:

more credits earned.

Students who have enrolled for 3 years or more at a university
﴾undergraduate program﴿ and have earned the required credits withexcellent grades may graduate early. However, this does not apply to
students in programs of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences
Further studies:

﴾Clinical﴿, and Veterinary Medical Science.

Admission to graduate school or Professional Graduate School

PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL UNIVERSITY ﴾PVU﴿

PVU is a type of university that pursues teaching and research in highly-specialized fields with theaim of developing practical and applicable abilities needed to take on specialized work. However,programs in Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences ﴾Clinical﴿, and Veterinary Medical Sciencecannot be established at PVU.
Qualification
awarded:Bachelor’s degree ﴾Professional﴿

*Some PVUs divide their courses into two levels - first half ﴾前期 zenki﴿ ﴾2 or 3
years﴿ and second half ﴾後期 koki﴿ ﴾1 or 2 years﴿. When a student completes

the first half ﴾zenki﴿ only at such institution, Associate degree ﴾Professional﴿

Program length
Requirements

for graduation::

4 years

Enrollment for 4 years or more and 124 or more credits earned. The credits

must include 40 or more in subjects of practicum, skills training, or
experiment, and within those 40 credits, 20 or more must be from on-site

Early graduation:

Further studies

:

12
12

is awarded.

training conducted off-campus.

Students who have enrolled for 3 years or more at a PVU and have earned
the required credits with excellent grades may graduate early.

Admission to graduate school or Professional Graduate School

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Junior College, Professional and Vocational Junior College ﴾PVJC﴿JUNIOR COLLEGE
Qualification:

Associate degree ﴾Title of Associate was awarded until 2005﴿

Program length:

2 or 3 years

awardedRequirements

for graduation

Early graduation
Further studies:

For 2-year program, enrollment for 2 years or more and 62 or more credits
earnedFor 3-year program, enrollment for 3 years or more and 93 or more credits::

earnedThere is no system of early graduation at junior colleges.
Transfer to university or PVU

PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL JUNIOR COLLEGE ﴾PVJC﴿PVJC is a type of junior college that pursues teaching and research in highly-specialized fields withthe aim to develop practical and applicable abilities needed to take on specialized work.
Qualification:

Associate degree ﴾Professional﴿

Program length:

2 or 3 years

awardedRequirements

for graduation:

For 2-year program, enrollment for 2 years or more and 62 or more credits

earned. The credits must include 20 or more in subjects of practicum, skills

training, or experiment, and within those 20 credits, 10 or more must be fromon-site training conducted off-campus.

For 3-year program, enrollment for 3 years or more, and 93 or more credits

earned. The credits must include 30 or more in subjects of practicum, skills

training, or experiment, and within those 30 credits, 15 or more must be from
Early graduation
Further studies::

on-site training conducted off-campus.

There is no system of early graduation at PVJC.
Transfer to university or PVU

Graduate School, Professional Graduate School
GRADUATE SCHOOL - MASTER’S PROGRAM
Qualification:

Master’s degree

Standard:

2 years

Requirements:

To fulfill all of the following:

awardedprogram length
for completion

1. Enrollment for 2 or more years ﴾may differ depending on the standard
length of the program﴿2. 30 or more credits earned

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3. Received necessary supervision for research, and passed dissertation

defense, and examination on the Master’s thesis or research project on a
specific topic.

Early completion:

Students who have enrolled in a Master’s program for 1 year or more andFurther studies:

Admission to graduate school ﴾Doctoral program﴿

made excellent research achievement may complete early.

GRADUATE SCHOOL - DOCTORAL PROGRAM
Qualification:

Doctoral degree

Standard:

5 years ﴾Some doctoral programs divide their curriculum into the first two

awardedprogram length

Requirements

for completion

years’ Master’s level ﴾前期 zenki﴿ and the following three years’ Doctoral level﴾後期 koki﴿. The Master’s level ﴾zenki﴿ is referred to as “Master’s program” in:this document.﴿

To fulfill all of the following:

1. Enrollment for 5 years or more ﴾may differ depending on the standard
length of the program; includes 2 years of Master’s program﴿2. 30 or more credits earned ﴾not required for persons who hold Master’s
degree or Professional degree﴿

3. Received necessary supervision for research, and passed dissertation
Early completion:

defense and examination.

Students who have enrolled in a Doctoral program for 3 years or more andmade excellent research achievement may complete early.

PROFESSIONAL GRADUATE SCHOOL

Professional Graduate School assumes a leadership role in various areas of society, providing

graduate courses ﴾professional degrees﴿ which specialize in fostering highly-specialized professionals

who will be active internationally. Among the Professional Graduate Schools, law school aims to provide
education for legal professional training, and Professional Graduate School for Teacher Education aims

to provide education for the training of teachers with highly-specialized abilities and excellent qualities.
Qualification:

Standard:

Requirements:

awardedprogram length
for completion

Professional degrees [Master of xxx ﴾Professional﴿, J.D. ﴾Juris Doctor﴿, Masterof Education ﴾Professional﴿]Each school decides the length of the program, either 2 years or a within arange of 1 to 2 years. 3 years for law school.

For Professional Graduate School, enrollment for 2 years or more ﴾may differ
depending on the standard length of the program﴿ and 30 or more credits
earned.

For law school, enrollment for 3 years or more ﴾may differ depending on thestandard length of the program﴿ and 93 or more credits earned.

For Professional Graduate School for Teacher Education, enrollment for 2
years or more ﴾may differ depending on the standard length of the program﴿

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and 45 or more credits earned.
Early completion:

When the school recognizes credits earned before admission as part of its
curriculum after a student is qualified to enter a Professional Graduate
School, the student may shorten the period of required enrollment asfollows.

Professional Graduate School and Professional Graduate School for
Teacher Education: For half the duration of standard program length at
maximum ﴾must be enrolled for at least one year﴿.

Law school: For one year at maximum ﴾in addition to the above condition,

also applicable for those who are recognized as having the basic
Further studies:

knowledge of legal studies required by the school﴿.

Admission to graduate school ﴾Doctoral program﴿

2-2-2. College of Technology
College of Technology ﴾KOSEN﴿ is a type of HEI that provides five-year-consistent professional

education for graduates of lower secondary school, placing emphasis on experiments and practicums.
KOSENs foster practical and creative engineers who will support the manufacturing industry.
Qualification:

Title of Associate

Program length:

5 years. For Mercantile Shipping, 5 years and 6 months.

awardedRequirements

for graduation

Early graduation
Further studies:::

167 or more credits earned.

For Mercantile Shipping, 147 or more credits earned.

There is no system of early graduation at Colleges of Technology.

Admission to College of Technology ﴾Advanced Course﴿, transfer to university
or Professional and Vocational University

2-2-3. Professional Training College ﴾Specialized Training College that Offers
Post-Secondary Course﴿
Specialized Training Colleges that offers Post-Secondary Courses can be called Professional

Training Colleges. Professional Training College aims to develop the abilities necessary for work andeveryday life, or to enhance liberal arts, on top of the foundation of upper secondary education.
Graduates of Professional Training Colleges who have completed programs approved by the Minister of
Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology are awarded title of Diploma or Advanced Diploma.
Qualification:

Diploma or Advanced Diploma

Program length:

1 year or moreawardedRequirements

for completion:

For daytime courses, completion of 800 credit hours or 30 credits multipliedby the number of years of the program length or more.

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For evening courses, completion of 450 credit hours or 17 credits multipliedby the number of years of the program length or more. However, earning
800 credit hours or 30 credits or more is a minimum requirement.
Early completion
Further studies::

There is no system of early completion at Professional Training Colleges
Diploma

University

transfer to university, transfer to Professional and Vocational

Advanced Diploma

admission to graduate school, admission toProfessional Graduate School

2-2-4. Educational Institution Operated by Government Ministries and Agencies
Education institutions operated by government ministries and agencies are educational facilities

other than schools, that are regulated by laws other than the School Education Act. Among them, there

are some cases in which universities can award credits if the university approves that the education of
the institution is equivalent to the level of university education ﴾see Ministry of Education notification

for details: http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/hakusho/nc/k19910605001/k19910605001.html [Japaneseonly]﴿. For those who completed a curriculum approved by NIAD-QE, degrees are awarded by NIAD-QE
after passing designated examinations.
Qualification:

Cannot award degrees or titles

Program length:

Depends on institution and curriculum

awardedRequirements

for completion:

Depends on institution and curriculum<Education Institutions Operated by Government Ministries and Agencies that are included in
the scope of the Tokyo Convention>
National College of Nursing, Japan: An HEI of Nursing Science established by the Ministry of
Health, Labor and Welfare with the purpose of training people to become nurses and midwives andwork as staff members of the National Centers for Advanced and Specialized Medical Care ﴾NCs﴿. It
is established as a facility for teaching theories and expertise of nursing, research, and training andis operated by the National Center for Global Health and Medicine. ﴾Reference: Act on National
Research and Development Corporation, which conducts research on highly specialized medicalcare.﴾6﴿﴿

Polytechnic University: Established by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare which has threefoundational operations: ﴾1﴿ fostering vocational training instructors, ﴾2﴿ training of vocational
training instructors ﴾re-training﴿, and ﴾3﴿ research on development and improvement of vocational
skills. It is operated by the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with
Disabilities and Job Seekers ﴾JEED﴿. ﴾Reference: Human Resources Development Promotion Act﴾7﴿﴿

National Fisheries University: An HEI related to fisheries established by the Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. It aims at providing scientific fundamentals and technologies
on fisheries for cultivating human resources contributing to fisheries. It is managed by the National

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Research and Development Agency, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency ﴾FRA﴿ andreceives funding from the government. ﴾Reference: National Research and Development Agency,
Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency Act﴾8﴿﴿

2-3. Degrees Awarded by NIAD-QE
NIAD-QE evaluates various learning outcomes at the higher education level and awards degrees topersons recognized as having academic ability equivalent to or greater than those who have graduatedfrom a university undergraduate program or completed graduate school.

NIAD-QE awards degrees in two schemes: ﴾1﴿ for graduates of junior colleges and Colleges ofTechnology, who have accumulated credit hours to a certain level of learning ﴾such as a Bachelor’s
degree﴿; and ﴾2﴿ for those who have completed courses at education institutions operated bygovernment ministries/agencies recognized as equivalent to university undergraduate programs or
graduate programs ﴾Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degrees﴿.

(1) Awarding Degrees to Learners Who Have Completed Study at a Junior College or College
of Technology ﴾Bachelor’s degree﴿
NIAD-QE awards Bachelor's degrees to learners who have attained a certain level of studies at an

HEI, acquired certain academic credits on top of that from a university as a non-degree student or froman advanced course recognized by NIAD-QE, and then recognized, as a result of NIAD-QE examination,

as having academic ability equivalent to or greater than the graduates of university undergraduate
program.

REFERENCES

Japanese https://www.niad.ac.jp/n_gakui/tsumiage/
Englishhttps://www.niad.ac.jp/english/adegrees/aod/scheme1.htm(2) Awarding Degrees Upon Completion of Study at a NIAD-QE-Approved Program﴾Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral Degrees﴿

NIAD-QE examines academic programs offered by education institutions operated by government

ministries and agencies in light of the School Education Act, Standards for the Establishment of
Universities, and Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools, and recognizes programs

offering education equivalent to a university undergraduate program or a graduate school Master’s orDoctoral program. Those who completed these academic programs, applied to NIAD-QE, and passed

the examination are awarded a corresponding degree. As a rule, NIAD-QE confirms that theabove-mentioned level is being maintained by conducting a review of education conditions every five
years for each program.
REFERENCES

Japanese https://www.niad.ac.jp/n_gakui/ninteisisetsu/
Englishhttps://www.niad.ac.jp/english/adegrees/aod/scheme2.htm

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2-4. Number of Credits
Credits are treated differently at each type of HEI. At universities ﴾including undergraduate

program, PVU, junior college, PVJC, graduate school, and Professional Graduate School﴿, subjects are
categorized into lectures, seminars, experiments, practicums, and skills training. Classes are conductedin one of these forms or in a combination of them, and for each subject, students who took classes andpassed exams can receive credits.

The number of credits for each subject is determined at the institutional level based on thestandardized credit system in Japan. Under the system, 45 hours of study is required for one credit as astandard. However, the number of required study hours per one credit may vary within a range of 15-30

hours for lectures and seminars, and 30-45 hours for experiments, practicums, and skills training, since
educational effectiveness and necessary out-of-class study hours are different for different teaching

methods. In the case of skills training in fields of art which require individual guidance, the number ofstudy hours for one credit can be decided by each institution. As for thesis or research required for
graduation, each university can decide the number of credits when it is considered adequate to assesslearning outcomes.

Each subject runs for a 10- to 15-week term, and universities offer classes for 35 weeks ﴾including

examination period at the end of each semester﴿ in principle. However, it is not limited to the above

period when it is recognized that it is necessary from an educational point of view and considered thatsufficient educational effects can be achieved.

At Professional Graduate Schools, courses must be delivered through case studies, fieldwork,

interactive or multi-directional discussions, Q&A sessions, or other appropriate methods depending on
the major field so as to provide practical education and achieve their purposes.

At Colleges of Technology, with the aim of smooth credit transfer and approval with other HEIs, thesystem of learning-based credits were introduced since 2006 in addition to the traditional

curriculum-based credits. Curriculum-based credits are awarded one credit per 30 credit hours

﴾standard one credit hour is 50 minutes﴿. Learning-based credits can be introduced at the discretion ofeach College of Technology with a limit of 60 credits. The standard one credit subject consists ofcontents requiring 45 hours of study. The hours can vary between 15-30 hours for lectures andseminars and 30-45 hours for experiments, practicums, and skills training.

At Professional Training Colleges based on a year-long term system, one standard credit hour is 50

minutes. Daytime courses conduct 800 credit hours or more per year, and evening courses conduct 450
credit hours or more per year. At Professional Training Colleges based on this credit-system, one

standard credit for a subject consists of content that requires 45 hours of study. The hours can vary

between 15-30 hours for lectures and seminars and 30-45 hours for experiments, practicums, and skills
training at the discretion of each college.

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2-5. Qualification Framework and Learning Outcome
Although there is no qualification framework defined nationally, each institution awarding degrees

sets its own learning outcomes and evaluation measures. On the other hand, in December 2008, theCentral Council for Education announced guidelines on learning outcomes commonly developed inuniversity undergraduate programs in the report “Building Undergraduate Education”. This guideline iscalled “Graduate Attributes“ or “Bachelor’s Competencies” ﴾学士力 gakushi-ryoku﴿ and consists of 13
items in four categories as stated below.

“Graduate Attributes” Developed in Each Major﴾9﴿

― Guidelines for “Learning Outcomes” Common in Undergraduate Programs ―1．Knowledge and Understanding

To systematically understand the basic knowledge in a particular field of major study, and to understandthe meaning of the body of knowledge and existence of the self in relation to history, society, and nature.
(1) Understanding of multicultural and cross-cultural knowledge.

(2) Understanding knowledge of human culture, society, and nature.

2．General Skills

Skills necessary in intellectual activities, work life, and social life.

(1) Communication Skills

Able to read, write, listen and speak in Japanese and another foreign language.

(2) Quantitative Skills

Able to analyze, understand, and express natural and social events using symbols.

(3) Information Literacy

Able to collect and analyze diverse information using ICT, judge appropriately, and utilize themeffectively in accordance with morals.

(4) Logical Thinking

Able to analyze and express information and knowledge logically and from multiple viewpoints.

(5) Problem Solving

Able to identify problems, collect, analyze, and organize the information necessary for the solution,and solve the problem with certainty.

3．Attitude and Intentionality(1) Self-Management

Able to act autonomously.

(2) Teamwork, LeadershipAble to act in harmony and collaboration with others. Able to show direction to others and mobilize
them for achievement of set goals.

(3) Ethics

Able to act in accordance with self-conscience and the norms and rules of society.

(4) Social Responsibility and CitizenshipCan be actively involved in the development of society while having awareness as a member of society
and properly exercising duties and rights.

(5) Lifelong Learning

Able to study autonomously and independently after graduating from undergraduate program.

4．Comprehensive Learning Experience and Creative Thinking Ability

Ability to comprehensively utilize knowledge, skills, attitudes, etc. acquired, apply them to new issues

identified by oneself, and solve those issues.

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2-6. Number of Higher Education Institutions, Students, Faculty and Staff
Table 2 Number of HEIs ﴾by Establishment Type﴿

University ﴾including Graduate School﴿﴾10﴿
Junior College﴾11﴿
College of Technology﴾12﴿
Professional Training College ﴾Specialized
Training College Post-Secondary Course﴿﴾13﴿
Total

﴾As of May 1, 2018﴿

National
86
051

Public93
17
3

Private
603
314
3

Total
782
331
57

9

186

2,610

2,805

146

299

3,530

3,975

Table 3 Number of Students Enrolled in HEIs ﴾by Establishment Type﴿

University﴾14﴿
Junior College﴾15﴿
College of Technology﴾16﴿
Professional Training College ﴾Specialized
Training College Post-Secondary Course﴿ ﴾17﴿Total

﴾As of May 1, 2018﴿

National
608,969
51,545

Public155,520
6,221
3,756

Private2,144,670
112,814
2,166

Total
2,909,159
119,035
57,467357

24,474563,484

588,315

660,871

189,971

2,823,134

3,673,976

Table 4 Number of Full-time Faculty and Staff in HEIs ﴾by Establishment Type﴿﴾As of May 1, 2018﴿

National
University
Junior College
College of Technology
Professional Training
College ﴾Specialized
Training College
Post-Secondary
Course﴿
Total

20
20

PublicPrivateTotal

Full-time faculty﴾18﴿

64,562

13,840108,761

187,163

Full-time staff

82,944

16,699145,983

245,626

Full-time faculty

-

421

7,239

7,660

Full-time staff﴾21﴿

-

161

4,089

4,250

Full-time faculty

3,772

294

158

4,224

Full-time staff﴾23﴿

2,519

86

52

2,657

Full-time faculty﴾24﴿

89

2,846

34,61337,548Full-time staff

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Unknown

Full-time faculty

68,423

17,401

150,771

236,595

Full-time staff

-

-

-

-

﴾19﴿
﴾20﴿

﴾22﴿

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3. Admission to Higher Education Institution
To enroll in an HEI, applicants must fulfil admission qualifications in accordance with the School

Education Act and its Enforcement Regulations ﴾hereinafter referred to as “law”﴿, and pass examinations

or other selection procedures determined by each institution.

There are also cases in which individual institutions set their own application requirements inaddition to those of the law.
Total number ofyears of school
education

Transfer to PVU andundergraduate program

(Age)

25

(Doctoral Program)

19

24

18

23

17

22
21

15

20

18

Secondary Education

12

17

11

16

10

15

9

14

8

13

7

12

University(Undergraduate Program)
◆1

※4

PVU

※1

JuniorCollege

◆3

※3

◆3

Specialized Training
College, Post‐
Secondary Course(Professional
Training College)※5
Specialized
Training College,
Upper Secondary
CourseUpper Secondary School

College ofTechnology

13

◆3

※6

※2

Advanced
Course

19

◆3

※1

PVJC

14

(Master’s
Program)Advanced
Course16※7

Early Admission

Advanced
CourseGraduate School

20

Advanced
Course26

Professional
Graduate School

Higher Education

21

Entrance tograduate program◆2

Lower Secondary School

Notes on admission qualifications (※):
※１ Persons who are awarded Bachelorʼs degree from NIAD-QE※２ Persons who have completed studies at Professional Training College (program length of 4 or more
years) designated by the minister of MEXT
※３ Persons who have completed studies at Professional Training College of which program length is 2
years or more and requires 1,700 or more class hours or 62 or more credits※４ Persons who have completed advanced course studies at upper secondary school of which program
length is 2 or more years and fulfills criteria decided by the minister of MEXT
※５ Persons who have enrolled in upper secondary school for 2 or more years (or equivalent to this)and have outstanding ability in particular fields of study designated by universities※６ Persons who have enrolled in undergraduate program for 3 or more years (or equivalent to this)and acquired credits designated by the graduate school with excellent grades※７ Early admission to doctoral courses in majors of Medical, Dentistry, a part of course ofPharmaceutical Sciences, and Veterinary Medical Science are allowed for persons who haveenrolled in undergraduate programs of relevant majors for 4 or more years (or equivalent to this)and acquired credits designated by the graduate school with excellent grades

Notes on program lengths (◆)◆１ Program lengths of Medical, Dentistry, Veterinary Medical Science, andPharmaceutical Sciences (Clinical) are 6 years◆２ Program length of Mercantile Shipping major is 5 years 6 months◆３ Program length for advanced courses are 1 year or more
Transfer
Transfer to university (undergraduate program) and PVU are notnecessarily transfer to third year
How to read this diagram:• From the bottom to top, institutions and programs are accessible if thelines are touching• Arrows indicate connections where transfer to university, entrance tograduate program, and early admission are possible• There are partially omitted connections (e.g. entrance from College ofTechnology to Junior College advanced course)

Modified a part of handout distributed at the 17th meeting of Shorai-koso-bukai of
subdivision on universities, the Central Council for Education on May 11, 2018

Figure 2 Higher Education Pathway and Qualifications

3-1. Admission Eligibility
3-1-1. Admission to University
University ﴾Undergraduate Program﴿, PVU, Junior College, PVJC
In principle, under the law, persons who have completed 12 years of school education ordesignated school education ﴾primary and secondary education﴿ are eligible to enroll in a university
﴾undergraduate program﴿, PVU, junior college and PVJC. Persons who have received 12 years of school
education outside Japan are treated equally.

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Alternatively, persons who have passed Upper Secondary School Equivalency Examination ﴾高等学

校卒業程度認定試験 kotogakko-sotsugyo-teido-nintei-shiken, the exam which certifies equivalency of

one’s scholastic competency to completion of 12 years of school education﴿, or have a certificate toenroll in foreign universities, International Baccalaureate, Abitur, Baccalaureate, and General Certificateof Education Advanced Level are also eligible for university admission in Japan. There are also cases inwhich each institution accepts applicants based on its own admission qualification assessment.
REFERENCE
See MEXT website below for details on admission qualifications [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111314.htm
See MEXT website below for admission eligibility of those who have graduated from a foreign orinternational school [in Japanese and English]:http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/04/01/1232840_1_1.pdf

TRANSFER TO UNIVERSITY ﴾UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM﴿ OR PVU

Transfer refers to the admission when a person who has completed education at an institution

enters another type of institution. Transferred students start from the middle of the course and are
exempted from a part of the curriculum. Persons who have fulfilled one of the following legal
requirements can transfer to a university ﴾undergraduate program﴿ or PVU:

(1) Graduation from junior college ﴾also applicable for junior colleges overseas﴿,(2) Graduation from Professional and Vocational Junior College,(3) Graduation from College of Technology,(4) Completion of Post-Secondary Course at Professional Training College ﴾program length mustbe 2 years or longer, with 1700 credit hours or more or 62 or more credits﴿,(5) Completion of certain upper secondary school Advanced Courses, or(6) Graduation from a Japan branch campus of foreign university, which is designated as being
equivalent to Japanese junior college by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology.
REFERENCE
See MEXT website below for details on transfer to university [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111315.htm
See MEXT website below for details on a Japan branch campuses of foreign universities, which aredesignated as being equivalent to Japanese junior college by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology ﴾as of April 15, 2015﴿ [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111315/001.htm

EARLY ADMISSION

The system of early admission allows students to enroll in a university at earlier stage than theabove standard. It aims to develop further the talents of persons with outstanding ability in a particularfield from the viewpoint of promoting education that corresponds to individual abilities and qualities.

Persons who are considered to have outstanding ability in particular fields of study, designated by each

university, and have attended upper secondary school for 2 years or longer are eligible for early
admissions. The universities must fulfill legal requirements in order to implement the system.

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REFERENCE
See MEXT website below for details on early admission [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111318/001.htm

Graduate School, Professional Graduate School
Admission to graduate school and Professional Graduate School is eligible to persons who have

graduated from a university ﴾undergraduate program﴿, have graduated from a Professional andVocational University, have received bachelor’s degree from NIAD-QE, or have completed 16 years ofschool education ﴾18 years for medicine, dentistry, pharmaceutical sciences, and veterinary medical

science majors﴿. There are also cases in which each institution accepts applicants based on its own
admission qualification assessment.

Details on admission eligibility for graduate school Master’s programs, Professional Graduate

Schools, and Doctoral programs can be found on the following MEXT websites.

Details on admission eligibility for graduate school Master’s programs and Professional Graduate Schools[Japanese only]:

http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111316.htm

Details on admission eligibility for graduate school Doctoral programs [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111317.htm

EARLY ADMISSION

The system of early admission allows students to enroll in a graduate school at an earlier stage

than the above standard. It aims to develop further the talents of persons with outstanding ability in aparticular field from the viewpoint of promoting education that corresponds to individual abilities andqualities. Students who have attended university ﴾undergraduate program﴿ for 3 years or longer andearned required credits with excellent grades are eligible for early admissions. The graduate schools
must fulfill legal requirements in order to implement the system.
REFERENCE
See MEXT website below for details on early admission [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shikaku/07111318.htm

3-1-2. Admission to College of Technology
College of Technology programs begin from the level of upper secondary education. Therefore,

admission eligibility is the same as that for upper secondary schools, i.e. completion of lower secondary
education in the Japanese school system or 9 years of school education in a non-Japanese school
system.

REFERENCE
See MEXT website below for details on admission to College of Technology [Japanese only]:
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/kousen/nyugaku.htm

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3-1-3. Admission to Professional Training College
As is the case with university ﴾undergraduate program﴿, under the law, persons who havecompleted 12 years of school education ﴾primary and secondary education﴿ are, in principle, eligible toenroll in a Professional Training College. Persons who have received 12 years of school education
outside Japan are treated equally.

Alternatively, persons who passed Upper Secondary School Equivalency Examination, or has acertificate to enroll in foreign universities such as International Baccalaureate or Abitur are also eligible
for university admission in Japan. There are also cases in which each institution accepts applicants
based on its own admission qualification assessment.

3-1-4. Admission to Educational Institution Operated by Government Ministries
and Agencies
Admission to educational institutions operated by government ministries and agencies depends

on the institution. In some cases, they are regulated by legislation and instruction of the operating
government ministry.

3-2. Entrance Examinations
In principle, Japanese HEIs select students based on each institution’s own procedures established inline with its admission policy.

3-2-1. University
University ﴾Undergraduate Program﴿, PVU, Junior College, PVJC
Entrance examinations for university ﴾undergraduate program﴿, PVU, junior college, and PVJC are

conducted based on “the Guidelines for University Entrance Examinations”﴾25﴿ stipulated and renewed

every academic year by MEXT. The Guideline contents include selection methods, timing of selection,etc. Selection processes vary from institution to institution: considering the National Center Test ﴾see

explanation below﴿ scores, conducting original scholastic exams and interviews, combining document
screening and interview, to name a few. In addition, some institutions employ special procedures for
non-Japanese applicants.

THE NATIONAL CENTER TESTThe National Center Test is a standardized exam designed for students who are graduating or havealready graduated from upper secondary school and willing to enter a university ﴾undergraduate
program﴿. It takes place simultaneously throughout the country in mid-January every year. It is an
option for universities to take scores from this exam into consideration, and the universities that use its

scores administer the Test in collaboration with the National Center for University Entrance

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Examinations. Multiple choice written exams ﴾and listening comprehension for English﴿ areadministered for 30 subjects in six subject areas ﴾i.e. Japanese Language, Geography and History, Civics,
Mathematics, Science, and Foreign Languages﴿. It is up to each university to specify the subject areasand subjects and how to use the scores for their admission procedures, whether it is a requirement orjust a supplementary resource.

The National Center Test will be replaced with a new “Common Test for University Admissions ﴾大学

入学共通テスト daigaku nyugaku kyotsu tesuto﴿” from AY2020 ﴾for AY2021 university entrants﴿. This new

Test will introduce essay questions in some subjects with the aim to appropriately measure abilities tothink, make judgement, and express themselves as well as the knowledge and skills already measured
in the current Test.

EXAMINATION FOR JAPANESE UNIVERSITY ADMISSION FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ﴾EJU﴿

The EJU is an examination for international students planning to study at a Japanese university

﴾undergraduate program﴿ to measure Japanese language proficiency and basic academic abilities
needed to study at a Japanese HEI.

EJU is administered by Japan Student Services Organization ﴾JASSO﴿ and it takes place twice a year,

in June and November, both in Japan and overseas. The exam can be taken in Japanese or English, andthe subjects include Japanese as a Foreign Language, Science ﴾Physics, Chemistry, and Biology﴿, Japanand the World, and Mathematics. It is up to each university to specify the subjects and language of theexam the examinees take. Many universities use EJU scores as a reference resource in the special
selection for international applicants.

Graduate School, Professional Graduate School
Entrance examinations for graduate school and Professional Graduate School are conducted basedon the Guidelines for Graduate School Entrance Examinations stipulated by the Ministry of Education,

Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in 2008. Selection procedures vary from institution to

institution; for example, applicants are judged comprehensively by combination of document screening,scholastic test, interview, etc. When a student is continuing studies from undergraduate program to thegraduate school in the same university, s/he can take recommendation-based entrance exam, which
gives exemption from part of the selection procedures. Recently, the number of graduate schools

introducing AO exams ﴾exams conducted independently by an Admissions Office﴿ are increasing. There
are also cases in which non-Japanese applicants undergo special selection procedures, and such cases
may use EJU scores as a reference.

3-2-2. College of Technology
Entrance examination for College of Technology ﴾KOSEN﴿ is either scholastic test or

recommendation-based entrance exam for all national, public, and private colleges. In addition to theabove, some KOSENs also conduct AO exams and special selection for Japanese students who received
secondary education abroad. All 51 national KOSENs use the same examination for scholastic testing

which takes place simultaneously throughout the country. There are also cases in which non-Japanese

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applicants undergo special selection procedures, and such cases may use EJU scores as a reference.

3-2-3. Professional Training College
Entrance examination for Professional Training College differs from institution to institution. The

exams vary depending on the characteristics of the study areas and departments. There are also cases
in which non-Japanese applicants undergo special selection procedures, and such cases may use EJU
scores as a reference.

3-2-4. Educational Institution Operated by Government Ministries and Agencies
Each educational institution operated by a government ministry or agency decides its own

admission procedures. They are written exams, recommendation-based entrance exams, and special

selection for Japanese students who received secondary education abroad, to name a few. Types of
exams also vary from document screening, scholastic test, interview, to short essay, etc.

4. Agencies Responsible for Higher Education
MEXT is responsible for the development of creative people with rich character through thepromotion of education and lifelong learning, the promotion of academic, sports and cultural activities,
and the comprehensive advancement of science and technology. It is also in charge of administrative

affairs regarding religions. ﴾Article 3, Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,

Science and Technology﴿

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ﴾MEXT﴿
3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-8959 Japan
Websitehttp://www.mext.go.jp

5. Organizations Related to Higher Education
The Japan Association of National Universities

http://www.janu.jp/

Association of Private Universities of Japan

http://www.shidaikyo.or.jp/

Japan Association of Public Junior Colleges

http://www.kotankyo.jp/

The Japan Association of Public Universities

http://www.kodaikyo.org/

The Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges http://www.shidairen.or.jp/
The Association of Private Junior Colleges in Japan

http://www.tandai.or.jp/

National Association of Vocational Schools of Japan

http://www.zensenkaku.gr.jp/zensen_index.cgi

National Institute of Technology, Japan26
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6. Student Union and Student Participation in University Administration
There is no nationwide student union associated with university administration.

7. Admission﴾26﴿ and Tuition﴾27﴿ Fees
Table 5National﴾28﴿
Public﴾29﴿

Admission Fee
282,000
﴾Designated area﴿ 230,186
﴾Other area﴿ 394,225

Annual Tuition Fee
535,800

252,030

900,093

﴾30﴿

PrivateTable 6

National﴾28﴿
Public ﴾Daytime
Course﴿ ﴾31﴿

244,948

699,876

National﴾28﴿
Public ﴾Daytime Course﴿ ﴾32﴿
Master’s program

Doctoral program
Professional
Graduate program
Table 8National

Public﴾35﴿
﴾30﴿

Private﴾Unit: JPY﴿

Total

817,800

﴾Designated area﴿ 768,480

﴾Other area﴿ 932,519

1,152,123

Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾Junior College﴿

Annual Tuition Fee
390,000

Table 7

﴾34﴿538,294

Admission Fee
169,200
﴾Designated area﴿ 131,413
﴾Other area﴿ 217,093

Private﴾30﴿

Private﴾33﴿

Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾University﴿

387,880

﴾Unit: JPY﴿

Total

559,200
﴾Designated area﴿ 519,293
﴾Other area﴿ 604,973
944,824

Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾Graduate School﴿

Admission Fee
282,000
﴾Designated area﴿ 228,359
﴾Other area﴿ 363,666
210,086
200,842Annual Tuition Fee
535,800
743,629
613,568

817,800
﴾Designated area﴿ 766,316
﴾Other area﴿ 901,623
953,715
814,410

195,960

1,117,992

1,313,952

537,957

Total

﴾Unit: JPY﴿

Admission Fee and Annual Tuition Fee ﴾College of Technology﴿

Admission Fee
84,600﴾Designated area﴿ 51,700
﴾Other area﴿ 84,600
202,609

Annual Tuition Fee
234,600
234,600
455,478

Total

﴾Unit: JPY﴿

319,200

﴾Designated area﴿ 286,300
﴾Other area﴿ 319,200

658,087

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8.

Major Scholarship Loans and Grants

Under the principle of equal opportunities for education, scholarships of the Japan Student

Services Organization ﴾JASSO﴿ provide financial aid﴾36﴿ to outstanding students with difficulty pursuingstudies for economic reasons. This system provides loan or grant scholarships based on economic andsocial conditions so that students can learn with peace of mind.

There are two types of loans: Type 1 is interest-free, and Type 2 is interest-bearing. The number ofstudents for which loans were issued in AY2015 was 1.34 million ﴾one in 2.6﴿, and the ratio between
Type 1 and Type 2 is approximately 1:2.5.

Grant scholarships are funded by the state. They encourage students to enter higher education by

providing scholarships that are not obligated to be repaid, so that motivated and capable young
people do not need to give up their studies for economic reasons. 18,566 students ﴾total of university

undergraduates, junior colleges, Colleges of Technology, and Specialized Training Colleges﴿ newly
received grant scholarship in AY2018, of which 516 ﴾2.8%﴿ are under social welfare.

In addition, as a grant scholarship for those who study abroad, there is Student Exchange Support

Program which includes “Scholarship for Short courses” and “Scholarship for Degree courses

﴾undergraduate, master or Ph.D.﴿”. Scholarship for Short courses is designed for students who are sentfrom a Japanese university to a university overseas for eight days to one year, based on the student

exchange agreement signed between the universities. Scholarship for Degree courses ﴾undergraduate,
master or Ph.D.﴿ is designed to provide scholarship and tuition fees for students who study abroad inorder to obtain a degree at a foreign university.
Table 9ProviderType ofScholarship

Interest-freeloan﴾37﴿
Japan
Student
Services
Organization
﴾JASSO﴿Interestbearing
loan﴾38﴿

Grant﴾39﴿

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JASSO Scholarship Loans and Grants

﴾New system from AY2020﴿
AmountEligibility
per Year
﴾JPY10,000﴿
University
24～76.8
Graduate school: Master’s program
60～105.6
Graduate school: Doctoral program
96～146.4
Junior college
24～72
College of Technology: 1st-3rd year
12～42
College of Technology: 4-5th year
24～72
Specialized Training College: Post-Secondary Course
24～72
University
24～192
Graduate school
60～180Graduate school ﴾law school﴿
60～264
Junior college
24～144
College of Technology: 1st-3rd year
N/A
College of Technology: 4-5th year
24～144
Specialized Training College: Post-Secondary Course
24～144
University, junior college, College of Technology: 4-5th year,
7.1～91
Specialized Training College: Post-Secondary Course
Correspondence course: university, junior college
1.7～5.1
Specialized Training College: Post-Secondary Course

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9. Student Status at Higher Education Institutions
The types of student registration status include “students” who enroll in a formal academic

program to obtain a degree, “non-degree students,” and “research students.”

10. Information for International Students
Websites such as Japanese College and University Portraits （https://jpcup.niad.ac.jp/） andStudy in Japan （https://www.studyinjapan.go.jp/en/） provide information for international students
interested in studying in Japan.

11. Major Laws and Regulations Pertaining to Higher Education
11-1. Foundations of Higher Education
Basic Act on Education ﴾Act No. 120 of 2006﴿
School Education Act ﴾Act No. 26 of 1947﴿

11-2. Standards for Establishment of Higher Education Institutions
Standards for the Establishment of Universities ﴾Ordinance of the Ministry of Education No. 28 of 1956﴿
Standards for the Establishment of Distance Learning Programs at Universities ﴾Ordinance of the
Ministry of Education No. 33 of 1981﴿

Standards for the Establishment of Professional and Vocational Universities ﴾Ordinance of MEXT No.
33 of 2017﴿

Standards for the Establishment of Junior Colleges ﴾Ordinance of the Ministry of Education No. 21 of 1975﴿
Standards for the Establishment of Distance Learning Programs at Junior Colleges ﴾Ordinance of the
Ministry of Education No. 3 of 1982﴿

Standards for the Establishment of Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges ﴾Ordinance of MEXT
No. 34 of 2017﴿

Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools ﴾Ordinance of the Ministry of Education No. 28 of 1974﴿

Standards for the Establishment of Professional Graduate Schools ﴾Ordinance of MEXT No. 16 of 2003﴿
Standards for the Establishment of Colleges of Technology ﴾Ordinance of the Ministry of Education
No. 23 of 1961﴿

Standards for the Establishment of Specialized Training Colleges ﴾Ordinance of the Ministry of
Education No. 2 of 1976﴿

11-3. Awarding Degrees
Article 104, School Education Act ﴾Act No. 26 of 1947﴿

Rules for Degrees ﴾Ordinance of the Ministry of Education No. 9 of 1953﴿
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《Notes and References on Chapter 2》(1) Article 1 of the UNESCO “Asia-Pacific Regional Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications in Higher Education”, which
Japan has acceded on December 6, 2017, defines “higher education” as “post-secondary education, training or research thatis recognised by the relevant authorities of a Party as belonging to its higher education system,” and “higher education
institution” as “an establishment providing higher education recognized by the relevant authorities of a Party.”(2) MEXT. ﴾2019, August 20﴿. Koto-kyoiku no shikaku no shonin ni kansuru gaidorain – koto-kyoiku no shikaku noshoninnikansuru ajia-taiheiyo chiiki kiyaku. Retrieved from http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shitu/1404607.htm(3) Amongst educational facilities other than those listed in School Education Act, Article 1 ﴾under this law, schools refer tokindergarten, elementary school, lower secondary school, Compulsory Education School, upper secondary school, Secondary
Education School, school for special needs education, university and College of Technology﴿, those of which aim to develop
abilities necessary for work and everyday life or to enhance liberal arts ﴾excluding those defined by other laws and schools
established mostly for the foreigners living in Japan﴿ are called Specialized Training Colleges. There are Upper Secondary,Post-Secondary, and General Courses in Specialized Training Colleges. ﴾Articles 124 and 125, School Education Act﴿(4) ISCED2011: ISCED ﴾International Standard Classification of Education﴿ is a framework developed by UNESCO Institute of
Statistics ﴾UIS﴿ to enable comparison of education systems around the world. It is one of the United Nations International
Family of Economic and Social Classifications. It was first approved at the UNESCO general assembly in 1976, and the current
version was revised in 2011. ISCED2011 categorizes educational program into 9 levels ﴾from 0 to 8﴿ based on thequalifications received, and tertiary level is from 5 to 8. Subcategories are set based on the characteristics of the academic
program, and the three digits express levels, categories, and subcategories.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. ISCED Mappings. Retrieved from http://uis.unesco.org/en/isced-mappings(5) ISCED classification applies only to the second type of NIAD-QE degrees ﴾awarding degrees upon completion of study at a
NIAD-QE approved program﴿.
(6) e-Gov website. ﴾2019 January 30﴿. Kodosenmon-iryo ni kansuru kenkyuuto o okonau kokuritsu kenkyu-kaihatsu-hojin ni
kansuru horitsu. Retrieved fromhttps://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=420AC0000000093&openerCode=1(7) e-Gov website. ﴾2019 January 30﴿. Shokugyo noryoku kaihatsu sokushin ho. Retrieved fromhttps://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=344AC0000000064&openerCode=1#231(8) e-Gov website. ﴾2019 January 30﴿. Kokuritsu kenkyu kaihatsu hojin suisan kenkyu, kyouiku kiko ho. Retrieved fromhttps://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=411AC0000000199&openerCode=1#8(9) Central Council for Education. ﴾2019 January 30﴿. Report “Building Undergraduate Education”, pp.12-13. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mext.go.jp/component/b_menu/shingi/toushin/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2008/12/26/1217067_001.pdf(10) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Universities and graduate schools: number of institutions﴿. Retrieved
from https://www.e-stat.go.jp/ *References #11-24 are retrieved from the same URL.
(11) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Junior colleges: number of institutions﴿.
(12) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Colleges of Technology: number of institutions and students byprefecture﴿.
(13) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Specialized Training Colleges: number of institutions﴿.
(14) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Universities and graduate schools: number of students by daytime
and evening courses﴿.

(15) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Junior colleges: number of students by daytime and evening
courses﴿.
(16) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Colleges of Technology: number of institutions and students byprefecture﴿.
(17) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Specialized Training Colleges: number of students by prefecture﴿.
(18) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Universities and graduate schools: number of full-time faculty by
prefecture﴿.

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The HigherThe
Education
System(19) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Universities and graduate schools: number of full-time staff by
prefecture﴿.
(20) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Junior colleges: number of full-time faculty by prefecture﴿.
(21) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Junior colleges: number of full-time staff by prefecture﴿.
(22) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Colleges of Technology: number of faculty by prefecture﴿.
(23) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Colleges of Technology: number of staff and school doctors﴿(24) e-Stat. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. School Basic Survey ﴾AY2018, Specialized Training Colleges: number of full-time faculty by
prefecture﴿.
(25) The “Guidelines for University Entrance Examinations” states that it is desirable for universities to implement not only thegeneral written examination but also other diverse methods of entrance examinations such as AO exams ﴾a combination ofdetailed document screening and interviews that examine applicants’ abilities, aptitude, motivation and objectives for study,etc.﴿, recommendation from upper secondary schools, special exam for graduates of Professional Training Colleges andintegrated secondary schools, special exam for returnee students, special exam for adult learners, etc. The Guideline alsosuggests different methods of written scholastic aptitude exams including individual scholastic exams, introduction of the
National Center Test, short essay, interview, and utilization of practical teaching and other qualification examinations.
MEXT. ﴾2019, January 30﴿. Nyugakusha senbatsu jisshi yoryo AY2019 edition. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/senbatsu/1346785.htm(26) Admission fee required only in the year of matriculation.
(27) Annual tuition fee is the total amount needed in one academic year. At national universities, invoice is issued per semester orother divisions of academic calendar.
(28) The amount for national universities is the standard for daytime courses. Each university makes decisions based on thisstandard amount. Evening courses are half the amount of daytime courses. There is no existing institutions for national
junior college, but there are legal regulations ﴾as of May 2019﴿.
e-Gov website. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Kokuritsu daigakuto no jugyoryo sonota no hiyo ni kansuru shorei ﴾Ordinance of the Ministryof Education No. 16 of 2004﴿. Retrieved fromhttps://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=416M60000080016(29) The amount for public universities is the average of 87 universities in AY2017.
MEXT. ﴾2019 May 15﴿. AY2017 Gakusei nofukin chosa kekka. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/08/23/1284481_08_1.pdf(30) The amount for private university, junior college, and College of Technology is the average of 580 universities, 300 juniorcolleges, and 3 Colleges of Technology in AY2017.
MEXT. ﴾2019, May 15﴿. Shiritsu daigakuto no Heisei 29 nendo nyugakusha nikakaru gakusei nofukinto chosa kekka ni tsuite.
Retrieved from http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shinkou/07021403/1412031.htm(31) The amount for public junior colleges is the average of daytime courses of 15 junior colleges in AY2017.
MEXT. ﴾2019, May 15﴿. Koritsu tanki daigaku jugyoryoto AY2017. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/tandai/1312330.htm(32) The amount for public graduate school is the average of 79 universities in AY2017.
MEXT. ﴾2019, May 15﴿. Heisei 29 nendo gakusei nofukin chosa kekka. Retrieved fromhttp://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2017/08/23/1284481_08_1.pdf(33) The amount for private graduate schools is the average of 430 Master’s programs, 316 Doctoral programs, and 47
Professional Graduate Schools in AY2017.
MEXT. ﴾2019, May 15﴿. Shiritsu daigakuto no Heisei 29 nendo nyugakusha ni kakaru gakusei nofukinto chosa kekka ni tsuite.
Retrieved from http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shinkou/07021403/1412031.htm(34) The amount for national College of Technology is the standard amount which becomes the basis when the National Instituteof Technology makes decisions.
e-Gov website. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Kokuritsu koto senmon gakko no jugyoryo sonota no hiyo ni kansuru shorei ﴾Ordinance ofthe Ministry of Education No. 17 of 2004﴿. Retrieved fromhttps://elaws.e-gov.go.jp/search/elawsSearch/elaws_search/lsg0500/detail?lawId=416M60000080017(35) The amount for public College of Technology is the average of three colleges in 2017.
・ Osaka Prefecture University College of Technology. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. School Expenses. Retrieved fromhttp://www2.ct.osakafu-u.ac.jp/for-applicant/school-expenses/

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・ Kobe City College of Technology. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Gakuhi ni kansuru joho. Retrieved fromhttp://www.kobe-kosen.ac.jp/koukai/gakuhi/
・ Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Gakuhi, nyugakukin oyobi menjo seido. Retrieved
from http://www.metro-cit.ac.jp/examinee/jugyoryo/(36) JASSO. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Jasso no shogakukin towa. Retrieved fromhttps://www.jasso.go.jp/shogakukin/about/index.html(37) JASSO. ﴾2019, August 7﴿. Shogakukin no seido (taiyogata)> Kingaku> Dai1shu (risoku no nai taipu)> Reiwa 2 nendo iko
nyugakushano taiyo getsugaku. Retrieved fromhttps://www.jasso.go.jp/shogakukin/seido/kingaku/1shu/2019ikou.html(38) JASSO. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Shogakukin no seido (taiyogata)> Kingaku> Dai2shu (risokuga tsuku taipu)> Taiyo getsugaku.
Retrieved from https://www.jasso.go.jp/shogakukin/seido/kingaku/2shu/index.html(39) JASSO. ﴾2019, May 13﴿. Shogakukin no seido (kyufugata)> Shikyu getsugaku. Retrieved fromhttps://www.jasso.go.jp/shogakukin/kyufu/kingaku/index.html

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Chapter 3.

The Quality Assurance System

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・
1. Outline of the Quality Assurance System for Higher Educationin JapanIn accordance with the School Education Act, the following two systems make up the quality

assurance for higher education in Japan.

Approval/notification system for establishment of universities and colleges ﴾Article 4, School
Education Act﴿Certified evaluation and accreditation ﴾CEA﴿ system ﴾Paragraphs 2 and 3, Article 109, School
Education Act﴿The Quality Assurance System for Higher Education in Japan:
Approval of Establishment and Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities
QA from application for establishment
to completion year

Ongoing QA

Disclosing information
to the publicArt. 172-2, Regulation for Enforcement of
the School Education Act

Completion year

Establishment of
new university

Approval by Minister of
Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology

Submission of application for
approval/notification of
establishment

Assessment ofapplication for approvalof establishment
Conducted by Council
for University Charteringand School Corporation

Measures taken
inside HEI(Internal QA)(4 years for
4-yearuniversities)

Follow-up after
establishment: “Survey

to Track Implementationof University Foundation
Plans”

Education andresearch activities

Para 1, Art. 109,
School Education Act

CEA (External QA)

Conducted by CEA organization
approved by the Minister of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology (once within 7 years)

Understanding countermeasures
Standards for the Establishment of
Universities (ministry ordinance)

Selfassessment

Improvement measures

Para. 2, Art. 109, School Education Act

Standards for evaluation of universities(determined by CEA organizations)This figure was created based on documents from a Subdivision on Universities of the Central Council for Education.

Figure 3: The Quality Assurance System for Higher Education in Japan: Approval of Establishment and Evaluation andAccreditation of Universities

Under the approval/notification system for establishment of universities and colleges, approval of

the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ﴾the Minister﴿ is required for any

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university to be newly established. In addition, any faculty or graduate school to be newly establishedwithin existing universities and colleges must undergo the same approval process. However, undercertain conditions, an existing university and college can newly establish a faculty or graduate school byfiling a notification. The Minister’s approval requires advisory from the Council for University Charteringand School Corporation. Furthermore, the Minister will request newly established universities andcolleges and existing universities and colleges that newly establish a faculty or graduate school toreport on the status of their establishment plan, matriculation of students, appointment of academic
staff, and any ancillary items noted on their application for approval until the academic year in which

the newly established school graduates their first class ﴾completion year﴿. The Committee for Survey to

Track Implementation of University Foundation Plans established under the Council for University
Chartering and School Corporation assures the steady implementation of the establishment plan byproviding instructions and advice as needed.

The CEA system obligates universities and colleges to undergo evaluation of the overall conditionof education, research and other activities based on evaluation standards determined by a CEA

organization approved by the Minister ﴾hereafter referred to as “CEA organizations”﴿. From AY2020, CEA
results for universities and colleges will decide whether their educational and research activities satisfy
evaluation standards of the CEA organization. This change will enforce institutions to make efforts to beaccredited. The Minister is obliged to require universities and colleges that do not satisfy the evaluation

standards for accreditation to submit documents or reports. Not only are universities and colleges
required to undergo CEA, they are also required to conduct self-assessment of the conditions ofeducational and research activities and disclose the results.

As corrective measures against universities and colleges that are not in compliance with laws

including the School Education Act and Standards for the Establishment of Universities, the Minister cantake the steps of ﴾1﴿ recommendation for improvement, ﴾2﴿ order to change, and ﴾3﴿ order to abolish adepartment or an entire institution.

A characteristic common to both approval/notification system for establishment and CEA system

conducted after a certain amount of time from establishment, which are the basis of quality assurancein higher education in Japan, is that quality assurance for universities and colleges is conducted at
institutional level. On the other hand, there is no legal framework to conduct evaluation by academic

field of programs for an established faculty or graduate school with the aim of developing specifichuman resources, besides that for Professional Graduate Schools, Professional and Vocational
Universities and Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges. Furthermore, although procedures forapproval/notification of establishment are taken as needed, CEA is carried out periodically as stipulated

in law. Institutional CEA is conducted once within seven years for universities, junior colleges, Collegesof Technology, etc. On the other hand, CEA by academic discipline is conducted once within five years
for Professional Graduate Schools, etc.

Furthermore, each of these two systems has uniform standards. The Minister has established theStandards for the Establishment of Universities, and each CEA organization has established evaluation

standards for quality assurance, and these standards do not change regardless of the size or aim of theuniversity.

Furthermore, most members of the Council for University Chartering and School Corporation,

which receives requests for consultation in establishment approval, are members of universities. In

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addition, CEA organizations also employ members of universities when they form committees to
conduct evaluations. This system implies that quality assurance of universities is considered as
independent and autonomous activities conducted by members of universities.

To sum up, “institution-level”, “periodical”, and “autonomous activities” are the three elements thatcharacterize the current Japanese system for quality assurance of higher education.

There is one more trend that should be noted in regards to Japanese quality assurance. It is thatthe information disclosure of universities and colleges is considered to be the main element of quality

assurance, and the disclosure of specific information is required by law. For the most part, these areinformation related to the educational goals, programs, academic staff, management, and finances of
the institution, and CEA organizations are required to take into consideration whether this information
is provided or not when they conduct evaluations.

The following sections describe details of the two quality assurance systems as well as their

historical background.

2. Approval/Notification System for Establishment and Institutional
Certified Evaluation and Accreditation ﴾CEA﴿ System
2-1. Approval/Notification System for Establishment of Universities andColleges
Overview
In principle, approval of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ﴾the
Minister﴿ is required for new establishment of a university, college, or a faculty or department in anexisting university and college. Standards for establishment of higher education institutions, including

the Standards for the Establishment of Universities and Standards for the Establishment of Graduate
Schools, are all based on ministerial ordinance introduced by the ministry, and exist as standards forthis approval process. In the past, any faculties and graduate schools needed individual approval to beestablished. However, the School Education Act was revised in 2003 to allow universities and colleges tosimply submit a notification in the event they establish a faculty or graduate school, as long as it is not a
new type of degree or academic field for the university. Furthermore, there is no fixed term of validity
for approval of establishment.

Process
An application for the establishment of an institution such as a university and college is submitted

to the Minister. Upon request from the Minister, MEXT‘s Council for University Chartering and School
Corporation assesses the application in light of relevant standards such as the Standards for the
Establishment of Universities. Examination results are reported to the Minister, and the Minister makesa final decision regarding approval.

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Under the Council for University Chartering and School Corporation, cumulative total of
approximately 500 academics and experts undertake deliberate and fair assessments with theirknowledge and experience. The assessments are carried out by the Council‘s subcommittees from two
perspectives; the subcommittee on university chartering assesses teaching and learning, and thesubcommittee on school corporation assesses financial plan and administration. The assessment
process comprised of document analysis, interviews and site visits takes approximately ten months in

the case of the establishment of a new university, and about five months for establishment of a new
faculty.
A penalty system was introduced in 2006 to prevent dishonesty and corruption, and to make surethe approval for establishment is operated accurately. In this penalty system, applications are notapproved if any of the below are true of applicants for approval of establishment.

(1) Any applicants that provided false statements or conducted other dishonest acts, for which theperiod designated ﴾5 years maximum, depending on severity﴿ from when that act wascommitted has not yet passed.

(2) Any university or college that has received an order or advice for corrective action in response
to violation of laws or regulations, and has not yet taken any measures of improvement.

(3) Any entity establishing a university or college that is judged to have inappropriate execution of
the establishment plan.

Furthermore, system of “early decision ﴾unsatisfied﴿” was introduced in 2009 to allow completion of
the assessment in the midst of the process for applications with insufficient preparation.

Assessment standards
Assessments are conducted based on standards for teaching and learning and standards forfinancial plans and administration. Regarding teaching and learning, compliance with the School
Education Act and Standards for the Establishment of Universities and satisfaction of the items below
are used as assessment standards.

(1) There is an outlook for long-term and stable admission of students.

(2) The aims for education and research sufficiently take societal demands and trends for humanresources into consideration.

(3) Over-enrollment rate of the university or college being established by the applicant is below acertain level.

(4) It is not establishment of a university or college that fosters medical doctors, dentists, veterinary
doctors, or marine personnel.

The Standards for the Establishment of Universities are the minimum standards necessary, and arecomposed of the 14 chapters below. Universities must not only make sure that these standards are
satisfied, but also work to rise above these standards. Junior colleges, Professional Vocational
Universities, Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges, and Colleges of Technology all have separate
standards for establishment.

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Chapter33<Structure of Standards for the Establishment of Universities>
Chapter 1 - General provisions
Chapter 2 - Educational and researchorganization
Chapter 3 - Academic staff organization
Chapter 4 - Qualification of academic staff
Chapter 5 - Student quota
Chapter 6 - Academic programs
Chapter 7 - Graduation/completion
Requirements

Chapter 8 - Facilities ﴾land, building﴿ andequipment
Chapter 9 - Administrative organization
Chapter10 - Special provisions on Professional
and Vocational department
Chapter11 - Special provisions on domesticcooperative curricula
Chapter12 - Special provisions on undergraduate
programs in engineering field
Chapter13 - Special provisions on international
cooperative department
Chapter14 - Miscellaneous provisions

Follow-up
In order to contribute to the maintenance and improvement of the academic level of each

university and college and encourage its independent improvement, the Minister requires universities

and colleges to submit written reports about the items and remarks given to the entity at the time of

its approval, academic courses/programs, academic staff organization, and progress of otherestablishment plans until the academic year in which it produces its first graduates (completion year).

The process includes interview or on-site visit as well as document review. This is called a Survey to
Track Implementation of University Foundation Plans (aftercare). The types and definition of commentsthat are provided to universities and colleges as a result of these surveys are outlined as below. The
results of these surveys are made public through MEXT website.
Ancillary items

Items that should be followed in regards to implementation of the establishment
plan items and should be improved on, by the entity granted approval or
submitting notification.

Remarks
﴾improvement﴿Remarks that are notified to the entity granted approval or submitting notification
regarding improvement that should be made as a result of Survey to Track
Implementation of University Foundation Plans.

Remarks
﴾correction﴿

Remarks that request correction by the entity granted approval or submitting
notification regarding inappropriate points to the status of implementation of
establishment plan as a result of Survey to Track Implementation of University
Foundation Plans.

Remarks
﴾violation oflaw﴿Remarks that request necessary measures by the entity granted approval or
submitting notification regarding points that are identified as violation of law as aresult of Survey to Track Implementation of University Foundation Plans.

Publication of results and measures for ensuring transparency
Applications and results of assessments are made public through MEXT website.

In the assessment process, applicants have an opportunity to revise their original plans in light ofthe comments from the Council and make further explanations.

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2-2. Certified Evaluation and Accreditation ﴾CEA﴿ System
Overview
The CEA system is a mandatory evaluation system in which CEA organizations conduct evaluationof the status of education and research of universities, junior colleges, Professional and Vocational
Universities, Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges, Colleges of Technology, and Professional

Graduate Schools, based on standards for evaluation and accreditation made by each CEA
organizations.

In accordance with Paragraph 2, Article 109 of the School Education Act, institutional CEA of

universities, junior colleges, Professional and Vocational Universities, Professional and Vocational

Junior Colleges, and Colleges of Technology evaluate a higher education institution as a whole, and are
conducted once within seven years. In accordance with Paragraph 3, Article 109 of the School

Education Act, CEA by academic discipline is conducted for Professional and Vocational Universities,
Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges, and Professional Graduate Schools once within five years,

according to the characteristics of that field of study. Universities and colleges are obligated, under law,
to select an organization to be evaluated by among the CEA organizations certified by the Minister.

Purpose and roles
To improve education and research as well as to enhance accountability to society throughperiodical third-party evaluation after approval of establishment of universities and colleges.

To contribute to the development of distinct education and research through multidimensional
assessments based on individual criteria developed by evaluation organizations.

Process, publication of results and measures for ensuring transparency
﴾1﴿ Process for CEA organizations to be approved by the Minister

Regulations for CEA organizations are stated in Article 110 of the School Education Act. The

certification process begins with applications from organizations wishing to become CEA organizations.
After receiving reports from the Central Council for Education, the Minister confers certification as anevaluation and accreditation organization when the applicant body is judged whether it complies withlegislation including the School Education Act and fulfill certain criteria concerning their standards,
methods, and framework for evaluation. Information on certified organizations is made public throughgovernment newspapers. Standards for this certification process are detailed in the Ministerial

Ordinance Providing Details Required to Apply Standards Provided in Paragraph 2 of Article 110 of the
School Education Act ﴾hereafter referred to as “detailed ministerial ordinance”﴿.

(2) Process of evaluation by CEA organizations

CEA organizations evaluate by analysis of self-assessment conducted by universities and colleges(document analysis) and site visits. Evaluation and accreditation results are reported to evaluatedinstitutions and the Minister, and made public to society. Evaluated institutions have an opportunity tomake remarks/objections about evaluation results prior to finalization of the process.

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Standards for determining evaluation
Each organization creates its own evaluation standards and uses these standards when conducting

CEA. Detailed ministerial ordinance states which items should be included in CEA in order to ensure afair and appropriate evaluation process, and each CEA organization sets their detailed evaluation

standards within this legal framework. As a result of revision of the detailed ministerial ordinance inApril 2018, the current evaluation items to be included in institutional CEA are as follows.
(1) Basic organizational unit for
education and research(2) Academic staff organizations(3) Academic programs(4) Facilities and equipment(5) Administrative organizations(6) Diploma policy, curriculum policy and admissions policy(7) Disclosing information about the status of educationaland research activities(8) System for continuous improvement in educational andresearch activities(9) Finance(10) Other aspects of educational and research activities

In particular, the item ﴾8﴿ “system for continuous improvement in educational and research

activities”, also referred to as internal quality assurance, is a focus when conducting CEA.

See Table 10 “List of Standards for Institutional CEA of Universities” for evaluation standards ofeach CEA organization.

Besides, each university and college is obliged to disclose their diploma policy, curriculum policy,

and admissions policy to the public in accordance with the revised Regulation for Enforcement of the
School Education Act.

2-3. Corrective Actions Ordered by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology If a University or College Fails to Comply withLaws and Regulations
Overview
Following the revision of the School Education Act of 2003 and other related regulations, theauthority was given to the Minister to take corrective actions against a higher education institution if it
fails to comply with laws and regulations including the School Education Act and/or the Standards for
the Establishment of Universities. The traditional single action of issuing an order for the closure of an
entire institution has been replaced by three gradual measures: 1) recommendation for improvement,2) order to change and 3) order to abolish a department or an entire institution.

Process
The autonomy of universities and colleges should be fully taken into account when taking any

actions. Prior to actions, the Minister should consult with the Council for University Chartering andSchool Corporation. The Council, with its abundant knowledge and experience, considers necessary
actions in a fair and careful manner.

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Publication of results and measures for ensuring transparency
The Minister may request a university and college to submit reports and materials as documentary

evidence in considering necessary actions.

Information on corrective actions is made public through MEXT website.

3. Historical Background
The approval/notification system for establishment of universities and colleges was put into placein 1951 when the Standards for the Establishment of Universities were determined by ordinance of the

Ministry of Education. However, it was not until the introduction of the CEA system in 2003, entities thatclear certain conditions became able to simply submit a notification in the event of establishment. Thisis considered as a result of deregulation policy taking effect at the time. The change allowed for theapproval of establishment of universities and colleges as long as they meet the criteria of laws such as

the Standards for the Establishment of Universities. The role of the approval/notification system as“ex-ante regulation” in quality assurance of higher education has been decreased, given that it was
being used to manage the quantitative scale of universities and colleges.

Revisions to the School Education Act made in 2003 ﴾and put into effect in April 2004﴿ replaced

ex-ante regulations for quality management with the CEA system as “ex-post evaluation”. Before thisreform, a Provisional Council on Educational Reform was established in the Prime Minister’s Office inthe 1980s to deliberate on issues including higher education. With the need for evaluation ofuniversities being brought up, self-assessment conducted by universities and colleges in light of theireducational goals and objectives came into the spotlight before external and third-party evaluations. By

identifying good practices and areas for improvement through self-assessment and disclosing these,
universities and colleges assured the quality of the education they provided and were able to makeefforts to improve. This system for quality assurance eventually became mainstream in the 1990s.

Revision to the School Education Act in 1991 made efforts to strive for improvement, including

self-assessment by universities and colleges, mandatory. Furthermore, in 1999, the Standards for the
Establishment of Universities was revised to make self-assessment and the disclosure of resultsmandatory. It was stated in the revision of the School Education Act in 2002 that self-assessments were

to be conducted and results were to be disclosed. During this time, it was encouraged that external
parties verify the results of self-assessment conducted by universities and colleges, and many started
conducting external evaluations for the institution as a whole, or faculties and graduate schools.

However, external evaluations in this case simply meant that the evaluators were members fromoutside the university and college, and did not mean that evaluations were conducted from athird-person point of view.

Revision of the School Education Act in 2003 defined CEA as evaluation conducted by a third-party

organization approved by the Minister. This reform encompassed the developments in the 1990s

regarding self-assessment conducted by universities and colleges. In addition, legislative reform gave

the Minister authority to make recommendation for improvement, order to change, and order to close

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a department or an entire institution in order to take clear action against universities and colleges
violating the law after they had been established.

Table 10

List of Standards for Institutional CEA of Universities

National Institution forStandard Academic Degrees and Quality/Area
Enhancement of Higher
No.
Education ﴾NIAD-QE﴿
﴾6 areas﴿
1
Basic Organizations for
Education and Research
2Internal Quality Assurance
3
4
5
6
7

Japan University
Accreditation Association
﴾JUAA﴿
﴾10 standards﴿

Japan Institution forHigher Education
Evaluation ﴾JIHEE﴿﴾6 standards﴿

Mission and Purpose

Mission and Objectives

Internal Quality Assurance

Student

Financial Management,
Administrative Management,
and Publication of Information
Facilities and Equipment, andStudent Support
Student Admissions

Education and Research
Structure

Educational Curriculum

Educational Program andOutcomeStudent Enrollment

Faculty and Staff

Academic Programs andLearning Outcomes

Faculty and Faculty
Organization
Student Support

8

Management,
Administration and
Finance
Internal Quality Assurance

Education and Research
Environment
Social Cooperation andContribution
University Management and
Finance910This table was created based on the following documents.
National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education ﴾NIAD-QE﴿ ﴾2018﴿. Institutional
Certified Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities Standards for Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities: 2019-2026.
Japan University Accreditation Association ﴾JUAA﴿ ﴾2017﴿. Universities Standards.
Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation ﴾2017﴿. Evaluation Standards (Universities).

Table 11

List of Institutional Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Organizations

Name of CEA Organization
NIAD-QEJUAAJIHEEJapan Association for College Accreditation ﴾JACA﴿CEA Organizations
Evaluate
Universities
Colleges of Technology
Universities
Junior colleges
Universities
Junior colleges
Junior colleges

Date Certified
Jan 14, 2005
Jul 12, 2005
Aug 31, 2004
Jan 25, 2007
Jul 12, 2005
Sep 4, 2009
Jan 14, 2005

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Table 12

List of Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Organizations for Professional Graduate Schools

Name of CEA Organization
Japan Law Foundation
NIAD-QE

JUAAABEST21
Japanese Institute of International
Accounting Education (JIIAE)
Japan Institute of Midwifery Evaluation
Foundation of the Japanese Certification
Board for Clinical Psychologists
The Institute for the Evaluation of Teacher
Education (IETE)
Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering
Education (JABEE)JIHEEInstitution for Accreditation and Quality
Assurance of Professional Higher Education
Japanese Institute of Landscape Architecture
Japanese Association for Social Work Education

CEA Organizations Evaluate
Law schools
Law schools
Law schools
Management
Public policy
Public healthIntellectual property
Global communication
Digital contents
Management
Intellectual property

Date Certified
Aug 31, 2004
Jan 14, 2005
Feb 16, 2007
Apr 8, 2008
Mar 31, 2010
Jul 4, 2011
Mar 29, 2012
Mar 29, 2016
Aug 24, 2017
Oct 12, 2007
Oct 31, 2011

Accounting

Oct 12, 2007

MidwiferyApr 8, 2008

Clinical psychology

Sep 4, 2009

Professional Graduate Schools
for Teacher Education, School
Education
Information technology,
innovation for design andengineering, embedded
technology, nuclear technology
Fashion businessMar 31, 2010

Mar 31, 2010
Mar 31, 2010

Beauty businessJul 31, 2012Landscape architecture
Social welfare

Jul 31, 2012
Feb 2, 2017

4. OtherQualityQuality
Assuranceby Academic Discipline
Assurance
4-1. Quality Assurance by Academic Discipline as Stated in Laws Regarding
Educational Activities - Certified Evaluation and Accreditation by Academic
Discipline
Universities and colleges are required to undergo institutional CEA in accordance with Paragraph 2

of Article 109 of the School Education Act ﴾see “2-2. Certified Evaluation and Accreditation ﴾CEA﴿ System”
on page 38-39 for details﴿. Paragraph 3 of the same article states that Professional and Vocational
Universities, Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges, and universities operating Professional

Graduate Schools ﴾referred to below as “Professional Graduates Schools and so on”﴿ must undergo CEA

﴾CEA by academic discipline﴿ in light of the status of goals for establishment, educational curricula,academic staff organization, and other education and research activities.

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CEA of Professional Graduate Schools and so on is conducted by area of academic discipline suchas law, business management, public policy and so on. They are conducted by CEA organizations

approved by the Minister ﴾after consultation with the Central Council for Education﴿, of which a “List of

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Organizations for Professional Graduate Schools” is provided on

Table 12. Furthermore, in the event there is no existing CEA organization for an academic discipline of a
Professional Graduate School and so on for a special reason, the institution must undergo evaluation by
a foreign evaluation organization approved by the Minister to conduct fair evaluations. The results mustthen be disclosed, and reported to the Minister to be used as a replacement for undergoing CEA.

Each CEA organization can establish standards, methods, and systems for evaluation based on the

Ministerial Ordinance Providing Details Required to Apply Standards Provided in Paragraph 2 of Article
110 of the School Education Act.

4-2. Other Quality Assurance of Educational Activities by Academic Discipline
Regarding educational activities by academic discipline, there are also quality assurance measures

being taken independently by organizations in the private sector in Japan and abroad. These activities

are not covered in the CEA by academic discipline. In addition, there are instances in which Japanese
universities receive international accreditation from international accrediting organizations.

4-2-1. Quality Assurance by Academic Discipline Conducted by Private
Organizations in Japan﴾1﴿ Accreditation of Engineering Programs (Engineering, Science, and Agriculture)
This is a professional accreditation system under which the Japan Accreditation Board forEngineering Education (JABEE) conducts examinations as to whether engineering education programs
offered by higher education institutions fulfill the level expected by society, based on uniform

standards established in cooperation with the academic and industrial communities, and confers thestatus of accreditation on successful programs.

The accreditation period is 6 years maximum. JABEE signed the Washington Accord in June 2005,

which is an international agreement signed by 20 countries and regions including the USA, Canada, andthe UK for the mutual recognition of engineering qualifications. The Washington Accord aims to ensure
the substantial equivalence of engineering programs in signatory countries through mutual recognitionof educational programs and systems to certify engineers.

﴾2﴿ Accreditation of Medical Education
The Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education ﴾JACME﴿ was established in 2015, and wasrecognized by the World Federation for Medical Education ﴾WFME﴿ as an accrediting organization in

the academic discipline of medicine in 2017. JACME now conducts accreditation by academic disciplinefor faculties of medicine in universities and medical schools.

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﴾3﴿ Evaluation of Pharmaceutical Education Programs
This is a system implemented by the Japan Accreditation Board for Pharmaceutical Education(JABPE). Trial evaluations were conducted in 2011 and full evaluations began in 2013. Evaluations of
six-year undergraduate pharmaceutical education programs are carried out once every seven years toguarantee the quality of pharmaceutical education institutions.

﴾4﴿ Accreditation of Nursing Programs
The Japan Accreditation Board for Nursing Education ﴾JABNE﴿ was established in 2018, andconducts accreditation by academic discipline for schools of nursing and faculties of nursing inuniversities. They accredit nursing programs according to their own evaluation standards.

﴾5﴿ Evaluation of Education Programs for Rehabilitation Therapists
The Japan Council on Rehabilitation Education (JCORE) was established in 2012. JCORE evaluates

programs that train physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language hearing
therapists in order to assure the quality of education provided at rehabilitation education facilities.

﴾6﴿ Accreditation of Educational Programs for Veterinary Medical Science
The Japan University Accreditation Association ﴾JUAA﴿ officially began third-party evaluations forveterinary medical science in 2017. The evaluation covers Bachelor’s degree programs in veterinary
medical science, and aims to both improve the level of education through accreditation, and guarantee
the quality of the program to society.

4-2-2. Quality Assurance of Japanese Universities by Academic Discipline
Conducted by International Accrediting Organizations
In recent years, some Japanese universities have independently requested evaluation and received

international accreditation from organizations that are active internationally. Some prominent examplesof these international organizations are AACSB, EFMD, and AMBA, which conduct international

accreditation of business schools. The aim for being accredited internationally may depend on thecharacteristic of the academic discipline or strategy of the university and college as a whole. However,

the major aims are to be recognized as an institution or program that provides an international
standard of education, and to improve both the chances of attracting international students and careerprospects of its graduates, as well as improve the quality of education it provides in light ofinternational standards. Examples of Japanese universities and colleges granted international
accreditation or currently requesting international accreditation are listed below.

Business schools(1) AACSB ﴾Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business / headquarters in the USA﴿(2) EFMD ﴾European Foundation for Management Development / headquarters in Belgium﴿(3) AMBA ﴾Association of MBAs / headquarters in the UK﴿

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Tourism studies

The World Tourism Organization ﴾UNWTO﴿ certifies tourism education through TedQual ﴾Tourism
Education Quality﴿.

Veterinary education

The European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education ﴾EAEVE﴿ conducts
international certification for veterinary education.

4-3. Various Evaluation Activities
In addition to the CEA systems and activities mentioned above, there are also evaluations ofJapanese higher education institutions that are conducted depending on the types of establishingentity ﴾such as National University Corporation Evaluation, Public University Corporation Evaluation,and other evaluations for school corporations﴿ as well as for Professional Training Colleges. Thematic
evaluations are also conducted to be used for university rankings.

4-3-1. National University Corporation Evaluation
Overview
Comprehensive evaluations conducted, based on Article 31-2 and 31-3 of the National University

Corporation Act, by MEXT’s National University Corporation Evaluation Committee in regards toeducational and research activities and management in light of mid-term objectives, mid-term plans

and annual plans of national university corporations and inter-university research institute corporations.
Each corporation undergoes evaluation regarding how successful they have been in achieving their
mid-term objectives for their six-year mid-term plans along with evaluations conducted for each fiscal

year. Of these evaluations, the National University Corporation Evaluation Committee commissions theevaluation of the status of achieving mid-term objectives regarding education and research to
NIAD-QE to conduct.

Purpose and roles
The National University Corporation Act was enacted in 2004, which began the national university

corporation system. Since then, national universities have been independent from the public sector,

and have been required to undergo evaluation by the National University Corporation Evaluation
Committee. The goal of the national university corporation evaluation system is to respect the specificareas of education and research and the independent management of each university. At the same time,
it aims to promote continuous improvement in quality, fulfil national universities’ responsibility tosociety to explain its activities, and to reflect evaluation results and content of mid-term objectives andplans in the calculation of management expense grants.

Process and judgments in the evaluation process

The National University Corporation Evaluation Committee is comprised of up to 20 experts

appointed by the Minister. The committee may set up subcommittees and working teams. It conducts
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reviews on the progress of mid-term plans for corporations based on their performance reports

submitted every fiscal year. Then, it evaluates their overall attainment of mid-term objectives in respectof the results of reviews and the features of each corporation.

Each national university corporation‘s mid-term objectives vary according to its features andcharacteristics. The committee therefore conducts reviews and makes judgments about university
corporations individually.

The results of the annual review reported to each corporation at the end of the fiscal year are used

in identifying a corporation‘s strengths, making improvements and enhancing their activities.

Evaluation results of all mid-term objectives are used in developing the next mid-term objectives. The

results of the national university corporation evaluation affect the rate of governmental grants
allocated during the next period of mid-term objectives. Evaluation and review results are made public.
Information on the evaluation including meeting agendas, minutes and evaluation reports are alsoavailable from MEXT website.

4-3-2. Public University Corporation Evaluation
The public university corporation system was introduced in 2004. The local government that

established each of these public universities decides whether or not the university is incorporated

under the principle of local autonomy, but as of April 1, 2019, 82 ﴾75 corporations﴿ of the 93 public
universities have been incorporated.

Article 78-2 of the Local Incorporated Administrative Agency Act stipulates that public university

corporations must undergo evaluation by the Local Incorporated Administrative Agency Evaluation

Committee after the end of each fiscal year. Each corporation undergoes evaluation on both theperformance for that academic year, and performance for the overall 6-year period for their

mid-term objectives. The results of evaluations conducted by CEA organizations are thought to be
used as reference for the evaluations this committee conducts.

4-3-3. Ministry Efforts Related to School Corporation Management
Quality assurance for private universities is conducted through the approval/notification system forestablishment and CEA system, as stipulated in the School Education Act. In addition, the Minister

approves a school corporation that establishes a private university as the competent authority, and is
responsible for providing any instructions or advice as needed regarding the management of private
universities, in accordance with the Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports,
Science and Technology.

MEXT conducts survey regarding management operations, organizations, status of activities, andfinancial condition of school corporations. In addition, it has been conducting the Inspection of School
Corporation Management since 1984 with the aim of contributing to securing the sound administrationof school corporation through providing necessary instructions and advice.

With the revision of the Private Schools Act in 2014, a system in which the competent authority

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appropriately to exceptional cases in which a general distrust in private institutions as a whole may

result. To be specific, this refers to cases in which the operation of the school corporation violates

the law, and is remarkably inappropriate. In these instances, the competent authority ﴾MEXT﴿ canconduct on-site inspection, issue official order, or issue recommendation to dismiss a member ofthe board.

4-3-4. Evaluation of Specialized Training Colleges
Revision in legislation such as that of the School Education Act in 2007 made it mandatory forSpecialized Training Colleges to conduct and disclose the results of self-assessment. At the same time,

it became mandatory to make efforts to strive for improvement by conducting and disclosing theresults of evaluation by parties related to school based on the results of self-assessment. This paved theway for efforts by Specialized Training Colleges and related groups to conduct evaluations.

The School Evaluation Guideline in Specialized Training College was established by MEXT in 2013

with the aim to assure and improve quality of Specialized Training Colleges and to promote thepracticality of efforts for evaluation. In addition to self-assessment and evaluation by parties related tothe school, it mentions how third-party evaluation should be carried out. Currently, there are privateorganizations that conduct third-party evaluation of Specialized Training Colleges, and each institution
undergoes third-party evaluation voluntarily.

4-3-5. Thematic Evaluations
University Rankings
The media, private companies, universities and other entities from around the world create andpublish university rankings. When Japanese universities are included in internationally prominent

university rankings, the changes in their rankings are often reported in the media in Japan. There aredifferent types of rankings: rankings that weigh a number of different indicators as overall university
rankings, rankings by academic field, and rankings that deal with specific themes.

Examples of overall university ranking

World University Rankings ﴾Times Higher Education, UK﴿, QS World University Rankings

﴾Quacquarelli Symonds, UK﴿, and Academic Ranking of World Universities ﴾Shanghai Jiao Tong
University, China﴿

Examples of rankings that deal with for specific themes

University Impact Rankings, which evaluate efforts by universities to achieve Sustainable

Development Goals ﴾SDGs﴿ adopted in the UN Summit in 2015; ﴾Times Higher Education, UK﴿

Domestically, there are rankings of higher education institutions created in the private sector —e.g.

the university ranking based on the level of difficulty in passing entrance examinations of universities

released by the entrance examination support service, and the ranking by academic disciplinedeveloped by newspaper companies. In addition, Times Higher Education has been publishing theJapan University Rankings recently.

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5. History of Quality Assurance System

Apr. 1947 The new university system was launched upon the School Education Act coming into force.
Jul. 1947

The Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) was established by alliance among

universities, based on guidance given by the CIE (GHQ Civil Information and Education
Section). Its University Standards were developed.

Jan. 1948 The University Establishment Committee was set up within the Ministry of Education.
Jun. 1952 JUAA conducted evaluation of the qualification of universities and approved 38 universities
for membership.

Oct. 1956 The Standards for the Establishment of Universities were established.
Apr. 1986 The Provisional Council on Educational Reform report “The Second Report on Education
Reform” recommended universities to carry out self-assessment.

Feb. 1991 The Council for Higher Education report “Improvement of University Education” wascompiled. It recommended the government to deregulate the Standards for the
Establishment of Universities (to make regulations on subjects, graduation requirements,
and academic staff organizations more flexible) and to introduce a self-assessment system.

Jun. 1991 The Standards for the Establishment of Universities were revised. The Standards for the
Establishment of Universities was deregulated, making the university approval system more
flexible. Self-assessment was stipulated as a task that universities should strive toimplement.

Oct. 1998 The Council for Higher Education report “A Vision of Universities in the 21st Century”
recommended enhancement of the existing self-assessment system (i.e. indicated the needfor publication of assessment results and verification by external persons) and introductionof a third-party evaluation system (with the establishment of third-party evaluation
organizations).

Sep. 1999 The Revised Standards for the Establishment of Universities stated that self-assessment andpublication of assessment results should be mandatory and that universities should strive
to implement verification by external parties.

Apr. 2000 National Institution for Academic Degrees was reorganized as National Institution for
Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE).

Jul. 2000

NIAD-UE conducted trial university evaluation of national and public universities from July
2000 to March 2004.

Aug. 2002 The Central Council for Education report “Establishment of a New System Pertaining to the
Quality Assurance of Universities” recommended reviews of the existing approval system

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for establishment, the introduction of a new third-party evaluation system (certified

evaluation and accreditation), and the development of regulations concerning corrective
actions against universities failing to meet laws and regulations.

Nov. 2002 The Revised School Education Act mandated the review of the approval system, theintroduction of the certified evaluation and accreditation system, the development ofregulations concerning corrective actions against a university if it fails to comply with laws

and regulations, and the development of Professional Graduate School system. (Thecertified evaluation and accreditation (CEA) system was enforced in April 2004.)

As a result of the major revision of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities,

simple conformance with related regulations has become the basic principle of theapproval assessment. It was also decided that the assessment standards which had thus far

been prescribed in the internal regulations of the Council for University Chartering andSchool Corporation should be stipulated in laws above the level of notification and allinternal regulations were abolished.

Mar. 2003 The standards for establishment of Professional Graduate Schools were enacted.
Jul. 2003

The National University Corporation Act was enacted and national universities wereincorporated from April 2004.

Apr. 2004 The certified evaluation and accreditation system (CEA) was introduced.
Jan. 2005 The Central Council for Education submitted the report “A Vision for the Future of Higher

Education in Japan,” recommending the classification of universities by their functions,appropriate use of the approval system, and enhancement of the certified evaluation andaccreditation (CEA) system.

Sep. 2005 The Central Council for Education report “Graduate School Education in the New Age:
Towards the Development of Internationally Attractive Graduate School Education”
recommended enhancement of learning contents in graduate schools and assurance of
their quality by introducing a new evaluation system.

Dec. 2006 The Basic Act on Education was revised to specify the basic roles of universities.
Apr. 2008- The National University Corporation Evaluation Committee of MEXT conducted
performance-based evaluations of national university corporations and inter-university
research institute corporations during the mid-term objective periods.

NIAD-UE conducted the evaluation of education and research of national university
corporations and inter-university research institute corporations, commissioned by the
National University Corporation Evaluation Committee.
Dec. 2008 The

CentralCouncilfor

Education

report“Building

Undergraduate

Education”

recommended clarification of the policy of undergraduate education, enforcement ofself-assessment, and development of the internal quality assurance system.

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Jan. 2010 The Japan Network of Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Agencies (JNCEAA) wasestablished by ten certified evaluation and accreditation (CEA) organizations.

Jun. 2010 The revision of the Regulation for Enforcement of the School Education Act clarified theinformation categories that universities need to publish regarding education, research, andother activities.

Aug. 2011 The “Interim Report on the Announcement and Application of Educational Information by

Universities” by the MEXT‘s Collaborators Meeting recommended the development of acommon structure for publication and application of educational information using a
database.

Aug. 2012 The Central Council for Education report “Towards a Qualitative Transformation of
University Education for Building a New Future – Universities Fostering Lifelong Learningand the Ability To Think Independently and Proactively” recommended the increase andsecurement of study hours and the shift to organizational and systematic curricula.

Apr. 2014 Private Schools Act was revised to allow the competent authority to conduct on-site

inspection, issue corrective measures and orders, and issue recommendation to dismiss amember of the board in the event the school corporation’s operations are in violation of law
or remarkably inappropriate.

Dec. 2014 The Central Council for Education report, “Articulation Reform of High School Education,
University Education, and Selection of University Entrants Aimed at Realizing Articulation ofHigh Schools and Universities Appropriate for a New Era” recommended improvement ofevaluation by focusing on student learning outcomes and internal quality assurance.

Mar. 2015 Japanese College and University Portraits ﴾JPCUP﴿ website was launched to disclose andutilize educational information about national, public, and private universities and juniorcolleges.

Apr. 2017 A legislative revision of the Ministerial Ordinance Providing Details Required to Apply
Standards Provided in Paragraph 2 of Article 110 of the School Education Act that must be

common to university evaluation standards. Items regarding diploma policy, curriculum
policy, and admissions policy ﴾the three policies﴿ as well as items regarding internal quality
assurance were added.

May 2017 As a partial revision of the School Education Act, a system for establishing Professional andVocational Universities and Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges as new higher
education institutions in the higher education system was added.

Sep. 2017 Standards for the Establishment of Professional and Vocational Universities and Standards
for the Establishment of Professional and Vocational Junior Colleges were established.

Nov. 2018 The Central Council for Education report, “Grand Design of Higher Education Toward 2040”

recommended that establishment standards are reviewed and that the CEA system isimproved (strict adherence to violation of law).

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6. Major Laws and Regulations Related to Quality Assurance

Basic Act on Education
School Education Act

Order for Enforcement of the School Education Act

Regulation for Enforcement of the School Education Act
Rules for Degrees

Standards for Changing Academic Discipline and Type of Degree Granted

Ministerial Ordinance Providing Details Required to Apply Standards Provided in Paragraph 2 ofArticle 110 of the School Education Act

Regulation for Procedures in Submitting Applications for Approval and Notification of
Establishment of Universities

Standards for Approval of Establishment of Universities, Graduate Schools, Junior Colleges, andColleges of Technology

Standards for the Establishment of Universities

Standards for the Establishment of Distance Learning Programs at Universities
Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools

Standards for the Establishment of Professional Graduate Schools
Standards for the Establishment of Junior CollegesStandards for the Establishment of Distance Learning Programs at Junior CollegesStandards for the Establishment of Professional and Vocational Universities

Standards for the Establishment of Professional and Vocational Junior CollegesStandards for the Establishment of Colleges of Technology

Standards for the Establishment of Specialized Training Colleges
Private Schools Act

Act for Establishment of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Ordinance of the Council for University Chartering and School Corporation
Act on Organization and Operation of Local Education Administration
Local Incorporated Administrative Agency Act
National University Corporation Act

Act on the General Rules for Incorporated Administrative Agency

Act on the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher
Education

Act on Coordination among Education at Law Schools, National Bar Examination, and Training ofLegal Apprentices

Act on Special Districts for Structural Reform

Measures pertaining to Exceptions to a Ministerial (MEXT) Ordinance Related to Projects

Regulated by a Cabinet Order Provided in Article 34 of the Act on Special Zones for Structural
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《References on Chapter 3》※Retrieved from August 1, 2019 for the following URLs.
Japan Accreditation Council for Medical Education. About JACME. https://www.jacme.or.jp/about/index.php
Japan Accreditation Board for Nursing Education. Kango Hyoka kyoiku shisutemu [The evaluation system for nursing programs].
https://jabne.or.jp/upload/pdf/hyouka_system.pdf
Japan Accreditation Board for Engineering Education. JABEE & Accreditation. https://jabee.org/about_jabee
Japan Accreditation Board for Pharmaceutical Education. Outline of JABPE. http://www.jabpe.or.jp/about/index.html
Japan Council on Rehabilitation Education. Nintei Hyoka ni tsuite [About the accreditation system].
http://jcore.or.jp/certification.html
Japan University Accreditation Association ﴾JUAA﴿ ﴾2017﴿. Universities Standards.
https://www.juaa.or.jp/en/accreditation/university.html
JUAA. Juigaku kyoiku hyoka handobukku [Handbook for accreditation of educational program for veterinary medicine].
https://www.juaa.or.jp/accreditation/veterinary_medicine/handbook.html
Japan Institution for Higher Education Evaluation ﴾2017﴿. Evaluation Standards (Universities).
http://www.jihee.or.jp/en/evaluation/univ_guidelines2018.html
National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education ﴾NIAD-QE﴿ ﴾2018﴿. Institutional Certified
Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities Standards for Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities: 2019-2026.
http://www.niad.ac.jp/media/008/201901/NIAD-Standards%20for%20Evaluation.pdf
NIAD-QE. National University Corporation Evaluation. Daigaku shitsuhosho potaru [University quality assurance portal].
https://niadqe.jp/information/univ-evaluation-2/
MEXT ﴾2013﴿. School Evaluation Guideline in Specialized Training College.
http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2016/11/15/1348103_1.pdf
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology ﴾MEXT﴿ ﴾2016﴿. Daigaku kyoiku no shitsuhosho ni kansuru sanko
shiryo [Reference document on quality assurance for university education]. Document No. 5-2, 126th Meeting of
Subdivision on Universities of the Central Council for Education.
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo4/gijiroku/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2016/02/03/1366452_11.pdf
MEXT ﴾2018﴿. Shigaku Gyosei no genjo to kadaito ni tsuite [Current status and challenges on private education institution
administration].
http://www.mext.go.jp/component/a_menu/education/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2018/11/19/1411180_1.pdf
MEXT ﴾2019﴿. Setchi keikaku riko jokyo to chosa no kekka ni tsuite (heisei 30 nendo) [Results of survey to track implementation ofuniversity foundation plan ﴾FY2018﴿].
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ninka/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2019/03/28/1413782_1.pdf
MEXT. Daigaku no setchi ninka todokede seido [Approval / notification system for establishment of universities and colleges].
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ninka/1368921.htm
MEXT. Ninsho hyoka kikan no ninsho ni kansuru shinsa iinkai ninsho kikan ichiran (heisei 30 nen 1 gatsu 12 nichi genzai) [List ofcertified evaluation and accreditation organizations ﴾as of January 12, 2018﴿, MEXT Examination committee on
certification for certified evaluation and accreditation organization].
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/shingi/chukyo/chukyo4/houkoku/1299085.htm
MEXT. Semmonshoku daigakuin no ninsho hyoka kikan (reiwa gannen 5 gatsu genzai) [Certified evaluation and accreditation
organizations for professional graduate school ﴾as of May 2019﴿].
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/senmonshoku/ninshou.htm
MEXT. Kokuritsu daigaku kaikaku kyoka suishin hojokin heisei 24 nendo sentei jigyo ni tsuite [The subsidy program forenhancement and innovation of national universities: FY2012 selected programs]
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/houjin/1335947.htm
MEXT. Koritsu daigaku ni tsuite [About public universities]. http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/kouritsu/index.htm
MEXT. Koritsu daigaku hojin seido no gaiyo [Outline of public university corporation system]
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/kouritsu/detail/1284493.htm
MEXT. Gakko hojin seido no gaiyo [Outline of school corporation system].
http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/shinkou/07021403/001.htm
AACSB. Accredited Universities and Business Schools. https://www.aacsb.edu/accreditation/accredited-schools
Association of MBAs ﴾AMBA﴿. School search. https://www.associationofmbas.com/school-search/
EFMD. EQUIS Accredited Schools. https://efmdglobal.org/accreditations/business-schools/equis/equis-accredited-schools/
World Tourism Organization ﴾UNWTO﴿. Institutions with UNWTO TedQual Certified Programmes.
http://academy.unwto.org/content/institutions-unwtotedqual-certified-programmes

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