Enhancing the Functions ofNational Universities―Independent and Autonomous Efforts toward theFunctional Enhancement of National Universities—
Japan faces such multiple challenges as rapidly declining birthrates and ageing population,
prolonged economic stagnation, and deteriorating fiscal structure. We are also in urgent need ofrebuilding our nation from the devastation caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake.
If Japan is to continue its development as an attractive and vibrant country, it must achieve
innovations in all aspects of society. In this context, national universities are strongly expected tolead education and research in Japan as centers for developing “people and knowledge.” In orderto play such a role, national universities also face many expectations from various quarters toenhance their functions and improve their system of governance.
Just a few years ago, we released Enhancing the Functions of NationalUniversities—Pledge to the People (interim report, dated June 22, 2011) in which we wrote, “Inorder to reconstruct Japan and ensure its continuous development,” national universities will“thoroughly enhance the function as National Center,” “drastically enhance the function as
Regional Center,” and carry out the “functional enhancement as an organic collaborative system.”
In line with the ideals and directions described in the Pledge to the People, we conducted
in-depth discussions on issues of growing importance and matters that need to be addressed in amore speedy fashion in view of the ongoing changes in social situations. These discussions
culminatedin
Fundamental
Views
concerning
theNationalUniversity
Reforms—Independent and Autonomous Efforts toward the Functional Enhancement ofNational Universities (dated May 2, 2013).
In the knowledge-based society, the strength of a country’s universities represents the country’s
national power itself. As a driving force for Japan’s growth and development, national universities
will make independent and autonomous efforts to drastically enhance their functions in terms ofeducation, research, and social contribution. Each national university will make the best use of its
characteristics and do all it can to facilitate the reconstruction of the quake-hit regions and ensure
the sustainable development of our country. At the same time, all universities will work closely
together and cooperate with each other in order to dispel the stagnant atmosphere and sense ofhelplessness that have affected our country in recent years. To that end, as centers for developing
highly talented individuals and creating knowledge, we are determined to further improve oureducational and research capabilities so that we will be better able to produce “global humanresources” and carry out a broad range of research projects.

May 2, 2013
The Japan Association of National Universities

1Fundamental Views concerning the National
University Reforms{ All national universities share such common functions as education, research, contribution
to local communities, and contribution to the global community, which should not exist as
categorized ones. No university has functions that are isolated or unique.
{ While all universities face common challenges in order to refine and enhance thesefunctions, there are also different challenges facing individual universities, depending on
their size or the characteristics of the local communities in which they operate.
{ However, we should not attempt to address such challenges through an approach or methodthat classifies the challenges based on the sizes or organizational forms of universities,
assigns different functions to different universities, and perpetuates such assignment. Thiskind of shortsighted view that advocates the division of roles among universities will only
lead to the shrinking of the entire body of national universities, resulting in loss of thediversity currently enjoyed by all national universities.
{ We will adhere to the position that we should address these challenges by improving theorganic collaborative system among national universities.
{ Diversity of national universities cannot be achieved by developing diverse forms ofuniversity organizations or assigning different functions to different universities. It should
rather be achieved by diversity in the characteristics that universities express when theyadapt their missions to changes of the times, refine their missions ahead of the times, makeautonomous decisions about the functions that need improvement, and draw up andimplement specific measures for enhancing relevant functions.

Reconfirmation of the Public Roles of NationalUniversities{ Education and research at universities have developed human resources and brought about
scientific and technological progress through sophistication of research activities, thereby
making great contributions to society.
{ Because of their contribution to society and their exposure to constant expectation toincrease such social contribution, universities are regarded as organizations of “publicnature.” And since universities are expected to make a social contribution that exceeds theamount of investments made in them, they are recognized as organizations whose spending
should be partially covered by the government. National universities, among other types ofuniversities, have enjoyed substantial benefits from investments made by their founder,
namely the national government.
{ National universities are entrusted by the people to play vital roles that will greatly affect thefuture of our country. National universities must continuously and autonomously improve
the quality of the social contribution they make through their education and research,
thereby appropriately fulfilling the roles entrusted by the people. Doing so is what justifies
the existence and public roles of national universities.

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Functions and Roles to Be Enhanced andChallenges to Be Addressed―Four Functions and Three Forms of Organization―
 Educational Function: [Capabilities and talents to be developed withgreater emphasis]
Õ Train global leaders who can play significant roles in the international arena.
¾ Develop abilities to apply highly specialized knowledge and skills to actual
problem-solving.
¾ Develop sophisticated communication skills that ensure intercultural andinterdisciplinary understanding.
Õ Train individuals who can be top leaders in various fields of society.
Õ Train researchers who can lead the next-generation academia.
 Research Function: [Functions to be further enhanced]
Õ Implement various scientific research activities.
¾ Develop research universities commensurate with the scale of the nation.
¾ Strengthen research institutions producing excellent research results.
Õ Help outstanding researchers devote more time to research activities and produce
results more quickly in the competitive environment.
¾ Develop a system in which research technical staff and URAs (UniversityResearch Administrators) can provide research assistance and various otherexperts can play roles in such activities as intellectual asset management andutilization, and appropriately evaluate such staffers, experts, and their activities.
Õ Develop a research environment for young researchers and an environment thatfacilitates active promotion of female researchers.
Õ Draw up measures to improve the social status of individuals with doctoral degrees.
 University Hospital Function: [Roles and functions to be defined moreclearly]
Õ Develop and disclose to society indicators concerning the quality of medical care.
¾ Clarify standards and definitions of medical care.
Õ Develop a new system for providing community medical care through theintroduction of enhanced medical ICT.
¾ Train general physicians, doctors specializing in specified diseases, and othermedical professionals and enhance university hospitals’ function to dispatch
doctors to local communities.
Õ Reorganize existing departments or create new departments in a way that
corresponds with new fields of medicine, and promote team medicine.
Õ Develop global human resources and promote international exchange of hospital
personnel.
¾ Promote overseas research and training and invite medical professionals fromoverseas.
Õ Support doctors (particularly female doctors) who come back to work after a periodof leave or career break and build a system for their retraining.
3 Function as Regional Centers: [Functions and roles to be defined moreclearly]Õ Function as local think tanks.
Õ Function to act as local opinion leaders in promoting community development from aglobal perspective.
Õ Role as coordinators in making regional contributions through inter-university
cooperation and other arrangements.
Õ Commitment to solving problems that may arise between government, local people,and industry.
 Universities: [Direction of problem-solving measures]Õ Reorganize education and research systems into more flexible ones.
Õ Strengthen presidents’ governance.
Õ Under the leadership of presidents, promote university-wide efforts toward
strengthening research capabilities.
Õ Inter-departmental allocation of resources.
Õ Enhance the capabilities of humanities and social sciences researchers to work andcommunicate internationally.
 Single-department Colleges: [Direction of problem-solving measures]Õ Strengthen governance in ways that make the most of the advantages ofsingle-department colleges (e.g. quick and responsive management).
Õ Promote research projects unique to each college.
Õ Build research hubs with more enhanced functions.
Õ Build (national and regional) hubs for training individuals with practical, highly
specialized skills through cooperation among national, public, and private
universities as well as among industry, academia, and government.
Õ Provide many opportunities of practical, hands-on learning both inside and outsidethe country.
 Graduate Universities: [Direction of problem-solving measures]
Õ Operate universities and strengthen governance by making the most of the strengthsof graduate universities (which have no undergraduate departments and therefore
can flexibly reorganize their education and research systems).
Õ Develop a system to provide leading-edge graduate education to students withdiverse backgrounds.
Õ Build strong research hubs.
This leaflet is a summary of Fundamental Views concerning the National University
Reforms―Independent and Autonomous Efforts toward the Functional Enhancement ofNational Universities (May 2, 2013).
一般社団法人4