III

103D CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 279

To state the sense of the Senate concerning the Government of Japan recognizing American college and university branch campuses in Japan

as American institutions of higher learning.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

OCTOBER 7 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 12), 1994

Mr. ROTH submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the

Committee on Foreign Relations

RESOLUTION

To state the sense of the Senate concerning the Government

of Japan recognizing American college and university

branch campuses in Japan as American institutions of

higher learning.

Whereas Japan sends approximately 45,000 students to

study in the United States, but hosts only 1,500 American students studying in Japan;

Whereas increased educational and cultural exchange between

the United States and Japan is mutually beneficial to

both countries;

Whereas Japanese Government officials at the highest level

have repeatedly called for cooperative ventures between

the United States and Japan in educational and cultural

exchange and stressed the need to foster the development
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SRES 279 IS

of mutual understanding of each country’s social, political, and economic systems;

Whereas certain United States institutions of higher education established overseas branch campuses in Japan in

order to facilitate such educational and cultural exchange;

Whereas the Association of American Colleges and Universities in Japan (AACUJ) was formed to ensure the academic quality of American branch campuses in Japan

and to enhance the educational contributions by American branch campuses in Japan;

Whereas AACUJ-approved campuses in Japan have been

fully accredited by appropriate accrediting agencies in the

United States;

Whereas the Government of Japan has unreasonably refused

to accord official status to AACUJ-approved branch campuses in Japan as accredited American institutions of

higher education;

Whereas the Government of Japan, by its refusal to accord

official status to AACUJ-approved campuses in Japan as

American institutions of higher education, degrades the

status of AACUJ-approved branch campuses of the

rights and privileges available to students attending similar Japanese institutions of higher education, including

transportation pass discounts, student visas, and other

rights and benefits accompanied by student visas;

Whereas foreign students wishing to attend AACUJ-approved

branch campuses in Japan are not eligible for student

visas and almost all American students must instead

apply for ‘‘enhanced cultural activities visas’’ in order to

study at these branch campuses in Japan;
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SRES 279 IS

Whereas the process for securing ‘‘enhanced cultural visas’’

has not been regularized and is unnecessarily burdensome, time-consuming, and subject to procedural surprises, irregularities, uncertainty, and delay;

Whereas the policy of the Government of Japan constitutes

unreasonable restrictions on the number of American students studying in Japan and contributes to the disproportionate disparity between the number of Japanese

students studying in the United States and the number

of American students studying in Japan;

Whereas Japanese university branch campuses in the United

States receive appropriate recognition through accreditation by American accrediting agencies in the same way

as American universities; and

Whereas the Government of the United States grants foreign

students attending Japanese branch campuses in the

United States student visas with the same rights and

privileges available to students attending similar American institutions of higher education: Now, therefore, be

it

1 Resolved That it is the sense of the Senate that—

2 (1) the Government of Japan immediately cease

3 its discriminatory policy toward AACUJ-approved

4 branch campuses in Japan;

5 (2) the Government of Japan accord official

6 status to AACUJ-approved branch campuses in

7 Japan as American institutions of higher education

8 and grant them all the rights and privileges enjoyed

9 by similar Japanese educational institutions; and
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SRES 279 IS

1 (3) the Government of Japan grant student

2 visas to students wishing to attend AACUJ-approved

3 branch campuses in Japan and accord them all the

4 rights and privileges available to students attending

5 similar Japanese educational institutions.

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