National Universities In Japan Research Articles

On National University Corporations

National universities in Japan, since their establishment under the Meiji Constitution, have been defined as administrative organs of the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Education and Science. However, the National University Corporations Law of 2002 changed that structure. Effective April 2004, all national universities have been recharacterized as National University Corporations.

国立大学法人によるキャンパス計画書の策定実態と計画組織に関する研究

Lecturer, Faculty of Human Environment Studies, Kyushu University Assoc. Prof., New Campus Planning Office, Kyushu University, Dr. Eng. Research Assoc., Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Dr. Eng. Prof., Faculty of Human Environment Studies, Kyushu University, Dr. Eng. Recently, the National Universities in Japan have incorporated, and in the field of campus planning, they are confronted with various kinds of issues. This paper clarifies the current situations and characteristics of their campus plans and planning organizations through the analysis on campus plan documents and questionnaire tests. The results are as follows; 1) most of their campus plan documents are consist of similar contents with the unified format controlled by Ministry of Education. 2) majority of them do not have the organized planning sections with some exceptions. 3) there are some of unique planning processes including the participation of experts and university communities.

The Incorporation of National Universities in Japan

In April 2004, all national universities, which had previously been legally subordinate to MEXT (Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture), were given a legal personality and became “National University Corporations”. With this change, each national university now enjoys greater autonomy vis-a-vis the government in terms of how it uses its budget (block grants), personnel issues (recruitment, appointments, salaries, etc.), internal organisation, etc., although universities are still subject to government regulations in some areas, such as the size of enrolments and tuition fees. Now that national universities are no longer bound by the strict regulations imposed by the government, each of them should be able to develop its own individuality and specialise in certain fields. This document will mainly focus on examining the initial reactions of the newly created National University Corporations. On the basis of recent information on national universities (National University Corporations), we shall show how they have clarified their strategic objectives and plans, and also how they have changed their organisational structures and staffing so as to achieve these objectives and plans. Some universities encountered serious problems in preparing their incorporation, particularly with regard to decision making processes, the apportionment of powers between the president and departments, and staffing. We shall then analyse the problems stemming from the incorporation of universities, and conclude by presenting some of the major problems faced and the directions that may be taken by universities and the government in our knowledge-based society.

The Incorporation and Economic Structural Reform of Japan's National Universities

University Corporations Law (Kokuritsu Daigaku H6jin-hb) in April 2003, which aimed at converting all the national universities into corporate entities (kokuritsu daigaku h6jin).The intention of this law is to effect major changes in the heretofore self-governing structure of national universities and to introduce a management system based on the corporate organization style.The National University Corporations Law will lead to a major transformation of universities from sites of research and education grounded in traditional basic research into corporate-like organizations which respond sensitively to social and market needs and which provide more practical research and education services. However, the increased power of the Ministry of Education resulting from incorporation may also limit the academic freedom and autonomy of Japan's national universities.

異なる視点を持つ参加主体による大学施設整備項目の重要度算定手法に関する研究

Since National Universities in Japan were incorporated in April 2004, managerial aspect for facilities maintenance and construction of campus has been required. For the first step, idea and goal of campus facility management should be established reflecting all students' and teaching/administrative staffs' demand. The purpose of this study is to develop a calculation method of importance degree on arranging campus facilities by multiple concerned persons' view. This paper describes the proposed calculation method by using AHP and QDA method. The effectiveness of this method is examined by case study on campus planning with staffs of facility division and graduate/undergraduate students of Kumamoto University.

A Perspective on Japanese Universities after a 30-year Absence

Having served 27 year on the International Court of Justice in Holland, after a nearly 30-year blank I returned home to learn to my surprise about the recent reform being conducted of the national university system in Japan.In April 2004, Japan's national universities were “incorporated.” Upon my return, I was appointed a member of the Administrative Council and chairman of the President-Selection Committee of Tohoku University, where I had held a professorial chair of international law before assuming a judgeship in the World Court.I am flatly opposed to the government's policy of incorporating the national universities, which have a proud tradition of over more than one century. The current reforms will not make the university system better, but worse. Hoping to strengthen university-industry collaboration and promote venture businesses, the government has gotten carried away in trying to reshape universities into something resembling corporations. Based on my experience with the several month of ongoing university reform, I take a critical look at the organization and operation of the“new”universities and elucidate the contradictions and shortcomings of the reform program.I point out three reasons why universities are withering under the new system. The first is that the policy has all but caused liberal arts professors, who are responsible for teaching basic education in the university-that is, the bedrock of one's philosophy-to flee the scene. This, in turn, is causing the extinction of the liberal arts college. The second is that a policy of standardization under a rubric of equalitarianism among academic disciplines is causing a loss of differentiation between them and a watering down of their unique characteristics. In these new universities, it is no longer possible to differentiate advanced research in fields I refer to as “bedrock philosophy” -such as, mathematics, physics and science or philosophy, literature and history-from specialized research in technincal and applied sciences. The third is that the current reforms relevant to legal education are essentially meaningless. Legal education should provide young people a full 3-year curriculum in law after they have received a liberal arts education. The concept of the new law schools is built upon the half-baked infrastructure that has constituted jurisprudence education. It is as superfluous as building a roof atop a roof.

Corporatization of National Universities in Japan: Revolution for Governance or Rhetoric for Downsizing?

As in a number of other countries, Japanese higher education institutions have faced pressure to reduce costs and respond to ‘market pressures’. This has included proposals by the national government to introduce competition, ‘agencify’ or corporatize universities and give management autonomy for universities in a hope that this will improve efficiency. The proposals however, are considered not a linear development but a radical change, because they go beyond an organizational reform as agencification that has been already adopted into some public services in 2001. Consequently, this paper analyses why this new policy change has suddenly happened and examines whether the new framework will be able to improve performance through enhancing autonomy. Investigating the process, we show that the corporatization of national universities has been progressed as the rhetoric for enhancing university autonomy and excellence, while the reality has shifted into a public sector reform as downsizing under the fiscal stress and the government control on performance might be much stronger.

国立大学の法人化と会計問題

国立大学の法人化と会計問題

Microbiological contamination in genetically modified animals and proposals for a microbiological test standard for national universities in Japan.

The Biosafety Committee of the Japanese Association of Laboratory Animal Facilities of National Universities (JALAN) investigated recent episodes of microbiological contamination in genetically modified mice (GMM), and the countermeasures taken when the contaminated GMM were introduced into animal facilities, by questionnaires addressed to 53 animal facilities belonging to JALAN and serological tests. Although almost all of the contaminated GMM were accepted with conditions such as rederivation after or before reception and housing in designated rooms, contamination with a spectrum of microorganisms was demonstrated in GMM transferred domestically and from abroad. In serological tests, Mycoplasma pulmonis, mouse parvovirus, and mouse encephalomylitis virus were detected in GMM transferred from domestic facilities and from abroad. The present results of the questionnaires and serological tests suggest that GMM are highly and widely contaminated with microorganisms compared with mice from commercial breeders. Thus, we propose a microbiological requirement, including microbiological status--excellent, common, and minimum--as a guide for the transfer and procurement of mice and rats in Japan.

国立大学原子力・原子核工学科の再編とその現状

国立大学原子力・原子核工学科の再編とその現状

New Funding Helps MITI Reform Labs

Tsukuba, Japan--The 15 national labs that are part of Japan's Agency of Industrial Science and Technology make its parent organization, the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), an important player in the country's research enterprise. Thanks to a big infusion of government funds, those labs are also setting the pace for much-needed reforms in how scientists are hired and grants are awarded, changes that Japan's national universities have been reluctant to make. The new policies are part of a broader campaign to improve the quality of science in Japan.

A Review of Research Activities at the Research Reactor Institute of Kyoto University in View of Research Publication Information

A database of research publication was constructed for the purpose of grasping all of the research activities at the Research Reactor Institute, Kyoto University. The database named KURRIP collects all of the research publications of the Institute by not only its own staff but also visiting scientists. The publications are in the form of original papers, review papers, papers in proceedings, short notes and letters, synopses over 3 pages presented orally at scientific meeting, books and doctoral theses. At present, the KURRIP database contains the information on 6,210 items which have been published for 30 years since the Institute was established as an inter- university research institute for joint use of a research reactor and other related large facilities in 1963. By utilizing the KURRIP database, the analyses have been done: (1) affiliation of the authors, (2) kind of publications, (3) classification of publishers, (4) research fields, and (5) experimental facilities. The KURRIP database is now stored in the Data Processing Center of Kyoto University and can be utilized through a computer center at one of the main national universities in Japan.

病院独自の基準による新鮮凍結血しょう（ＦＦＰ）使用抑制の試み

This report describes the recent upsurge in use of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) and its successful suppression with our institutional directives in Shinshu University Hospital.In 1993 (fiscal year), the use of FFP reached 46.5 units per bed per year in our hospital. In contrast, average in the hospitals of national universities in Japan was only 14.9 units. The use of blood and its components in that year was approximately 2.6 times that in the year 1988, immediately before the start of the rise. Repeated promotion of “the standards for use of blood and its components by the Ministry of Welfare” (the “standards”) had been ineffective. Finally, in 1994, our transfusion committee formulated a set of rules of FFP use. Qantities used thereafter fell from 5080 units in the first two months of 1994 to 2924 units in the same months of 1995.Our rules divide FFP transfusion into (1) conservative and (2) surgical varieties. The former use (1) is under the control of the “standards”. For the cases of surgical operation (2), the rules allow the surgeons to consume FFPs freely according to clinical requirements in the perioperative period (4 or 5 days including the date of operation), after which the “standards” restrict its use.Effectiveness was the first consideration of our rules. Accordingly they were considerably generous to the surgeon's clinical judgment. This was reflected in a lack of sufficient academic base, although this was mostly related to the paucity of research in this field. An unexpected result was that the directives substantially reduced the physicians' workload in transfusion inspection.

23巻3号 正誤表

23巻3号 正誤表

国立大学医学図書館の実態

国立大学医学図書館の実態

Studies on Entrance Examination of National Universities in Japan and its Improvement

Studies on Entrance Examination of National Universities in Japan and its Improvement

Problems upon the Entrance Examination to Schools of Medicine of National Universities in Japan

Problems upon the Entrance Examination to Schools of Medicine of National Universities in Japan

東北大学金属材料研究所付属材料試験炉利用施設

The Irradiation Research Laboratory in JMTR, owned and operated by the Research Institute for Iron, Steel and Other Metals, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan was established in 1968 adjacent to the JMTR at the Oarai Research Establishment of the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute.The Laboratory possesses facilities for basic studies, hot laboratory for studies on irradiated fuels and materials, and equipment for the preparation of ceramic single crystals. The Laboratory is available to research workers from all national universities in Japan.

国立大学の教育環境

As a basic study of the campus planning in the national universities in Japan, we have made a survey of their realities.In connection with the above, we have chiefly checked the land utilization as well as the relation between the floor area and the open space in the campuses of all the national universities, by using the aearial interpretation and maps.The above investigation has disclosed the followng features:(1) In national universities in Japan, the average area of their campus is about four times as large as the total floor area of their building.(2) Independently of the number limit of students and the campus area, universities are different from one another in the area of their outdoor playgrounds.(3) Campus generally consists of buildings (15%), outdoor playgrounds (15-20%), roads (10%), green tracts (40%) and other open spaces (15-20%).Figures show the ratio to the campus area. According to the random extraction survey of universities on a scale basis, there is found almost the same trend in the horizontal land use for the campuses of all the national universities throughout the country.(4) Approx, 35% of the green tract area is occupied by trees and shruds. Meanwhile, the rest approx, 65% is covred with grass and others.(5) From the above, we can conclude that the area of compus in each university is limited to the minimum, and the land would be utilized vertically for the campus in future, when more multistoried buildings are built for universities.