of Universities and other laws and regulations, the sum of the credits from classes that foreign universities conduct with use of various types of media in a highly advanced manner and credits from classes that Japanese universities conduct in the same fashion shall not exceed 60 credits.

Notwithstanding the preceding, the provisions prescribed in Section 3, Chapter 3 of the Guidelines should be kept in mind: a main objective of JD programs is to produce greater educational effects by providing students with opportunities to spend a certain period of time at partner universities, to gain valuable learning that is inaccessible at a single university, and to be exposed with international exchanges and different cultures. It would thus be inconsistent with this objective if it became possible for students to complete ICC by only various types of media in a highly advanced manner and other tools, staying at one university or in one country.

## (4) Requirements for Completion

☐ JDs are conferred on students who have completed curricula organized and implemented jointly by Japanese and foreign universities. To complete JD programs, students are required to satisfy the requirements set forth in the School Education Law and other relevant laws and regulations of Japan, such as duration of study and the number of credits earned, as well as the requirements for completion set forth by partner universities in foreign countries.

With regard to establishment of courses for ICC, while a special provision is set out to permit Japanese universities to accept courses of partner universities in foreign countries as if they were their own courses, universities joining the ICC are still required to take all responsibility for providing the necessary courses. As in the DCC Scheme, the ICC scheme prescribes the minimum necessary number of credits to be taken at each university, so that each university shall provide the necessary courses and shall not be able to leave to partner universities the provision of all courses of JD programs.

Considering that, in this Japanese ICC scheme, the degrees awarded to students completing ICC shall be treated as Japanese degrees by laws, it is required to earn no less than 50% of credits at Japanese universities. The minimum number of credits which shall be earned at partner universities has been determined in reference to the DCC Scheme and is approximately the same as that in the DCC system (the number of minimum credits for undergraduate degree is set as ought to be earned in one academic year, and the number for other types of degrees to be determined according to the nature of courses).

In Japan, if a student who holds a master or professional master degree, etc. enters a graduate school to pursue the PhD, he/she is required, according to the Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools and other relevant laws and regulations, to complete the program to study at the university for the duration of study (three years, in principle) or longer, to receive necessary research supervision, and, after that, to pass the examination of the doctoral thesis and the examination. If such a student enters graduate school to pursue a PhD program through ICC, he/she will have to meet identical requirements for