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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > FY2003 White Paper on Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology >Part1 Chapter2 Section3 (1)

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Part 1   Higher Education to Support a Knowledge-Based Society Full of Creative Vitality - New Developments in Higher Education Reform
Chapter 2   New Developments in Higher Education Reform
Section 3   Securing Quality at Universities
(1)   Increased flexibility for the approval system for establishing new departments


In the past, for national, public or private universities to establish new departments or faculties, the approval of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was necessary in all cases, regardless of the content of the proposed new department or faculty. Whenever a university made an establishment approval application, upon an inquiry from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the Council for the Establishment of Universities and School Corporations, composed of academic experts, would carry out an examination of whether the proposed department or faculty met the required standard from a specialized perspective, and if it was recognized as ensuring a specified standard of education and research, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology approved it. This system played an important role in securing the standard of university education and research in Japan.

However, in the Central Council for Education Report referred to above, it was suggested that it was necessary to limit the cases in which the approval of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was essential in order that universities may appropriately respond to academic development and social changes and needs so as to independently and flexibly proceed with organizational restructuring. In response to this, the approval system for establishing new departments or faculties was reviewed, and from April 2003 the approval of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology became unnecessary for the establishment of departments or faculties as long as there are no major modifications to the academic fields of the university. Now a notification to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is all that is necessary. As a result of this process, for example, at a university with an economics department or faculty, if the university would like to newly establish a faculty of business administration then it can do so simply by notifying the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Furthermore, previously the new establishment or expansion and increases in the capacity and quotas of universities, faculties and so on were restrained, but this restraining approach has been abolished with a view to: 1) allow universities to flexibly respond to the needs of society and academic development; and 2) promote free competition between universities. In addition, in response to the abolition of the Industries (Factories) Restriction Law, the restraining policy that, in principle, does not allow new establishment or expansion of universities and faculties in big cities was also abolished. In addition, it has been decided to regulate the standards concerning university establishment approval, previously regulated in a variety of forms, with laws and ordinances above the level of notification, with a view to clarifying them and making them easier to understand.


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