As of 2013, there were 86 , 90 public universities and 606 private universities in Japan. National universities tend to be held in higher regard in

higher education in Japan Higher education in Japan is provided at universities (大学 ''daigaku''), junior colleges (短期大学 ''tanki daigaku''), colleges of technology (高等専門学校 ''kōtō senmon gakkō'') and special training schools and community college ...

than private or public universities. As of the 2019 fiscal year, the number of national universities, 86, is unchanged, while the number of public universities increased to 93 and private universities increased to 607 compared with 2013.

History

In 2004, the national university system underwent partial privatization. Since 2004, each national university has been incorporated as a and given limited autonomy in its operations.Keiko Yokoyama (2007) Changing Definitions of University Autonomy: The Cases of England and Japan, Higher Education in Europe, 32:4, 399-409, DOI: 10.1080/03797720802066294 Faculty and staff are no longer working for the

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology The , also known as MEXT or Monka-shō, is one of the eleven Ministries of Japan that composes part of the executive branch of the Government of Japan. Its goal is to improve the development of Japan in relation with the international community. ...

. University names which shifted are .

Designated National Universities

In April 2017, an amendment to the National University Corporation Act enabled the classification of national university corporations as “Designated National University Corporations”, with the stated aims of significantly improving the education and research levels of Japanese universities. As of 2021 a total of 10 national universities have been thus selected by the MEXT. *

Hitotsubashi University is a national university located in Tokyo, Japan. It has campuses in Kunitachi, Kodaira, and Chiyoda. One of the top 9 Designated National University in Japan, Hitotsubashi is a relatively small institution specialized solely in social scie ...

(former Tokyo College of Commerce) * Kyoto University (former Kyoto Imperial University) * Nagoya University (former Nagoya Imperial University) * Osaka University (former Osaka Imperial University) * Tohoku University (former Tohoku Imperial University) *

Tokyo Institute of Technology is a national research university located in Greater Tokyo Area, Japan. Tokyo Tech is the largest institution for higher education in Japan dedicated to science and technology, one of first five Designated National University and selected as ...

* Tokyo Medical and Dental University * The University of Tokyo (former Tokyo Imperial University) * University of Tsukuba *

Kyushu University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu. It was the 4th Imperial University in Japan, ranked as 4th in 2020 Times Higher Education Japan University Rankings, one of the top 10 Desig ...

(former Kyushu Imperial University)

National universities

* Aichi University of Education *

Akita University is a Japanese national university in Akita City, Japan. Established in 1949, it comprises four graduate schools and four undergraduate faculties. History Akita University was established in 1949 by the merger of Akita Normal School (establishe ...

Asahikawa Medical University , , or AMU, is a national university and medical school in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, Japan. Established in 1973, the university has one faculty, Faculty of Medicine, consisting of Department of Medicine and Department of Nursing. The affiliated Asahi ...

Chiba University is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University. The university was formed in 1949 from ex ...

Ehime University is a Japanese national university in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture, Japan. The university has one of the largest student populations in the Shikoku region. After Japan's defeat in World War II, Aidai was established in May 1949 among many other ...

Fukuoka University of Education (UTEF) is a national university in Munakata, Fukuoka, Japan. The predecessor of the school was founded in 1876, and it was chartered as a university in 1949. The present name was adopted in 1966. Associated primary schools * Fukuoka University o ...

Fukushima University , abbreviated to , is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Kanayagawa, Fukushima City, Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan lo ...

Gifu University is a national university in the city of Gifu, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. It is sometimes abbreviated as Gidai (岐大) or Gifudai (岐阜大). National University Corporation The Tokai National Higher Education and Research System established b ...

* The Graduate University for Advanced Studies (SOKENDAI) *

Gunma University , abbreviated to , is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Aramaki-machi, Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture. History Gunma University was established in 1949 by integrating the national colleges in Gunma Prefecture: , , ...

Hamamatsu University School of Medicine is a national university in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Ja ...

Hirosaki University is a Japanese national university in Hirosaki, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Established in 1949, it comprises five faculties: Faculty of the Humanities, Faculty of Education History, Hirosaki University Medical School History, Faculty of Science ...

* Hiroshima University * Hokkaido University (former Hokkaido Imperial University) *

Hokkaido University of Education is a national public university administered by the government of Japan. It has five campuses in Hokkaido, Japan. The main campus is on the outskirts of Sapporo, the capital of Hokkaido. Hokkaido University of Education, Sapporo (HUES) is the la ...

Hyogo University of Teacher Education is a national university in Katō, Hyōgo, Japan, founded as "New Concept University" of Teacher Education for Undergraduate and Graduate in 1978. Graduate School satellite campus in Kobe was established in 2000. See also * Darryl Takizo Yag ...

* Ibaraki University * Iwate University *

Japan Advanced Institute of Science and Technology is a postgraduate university in Japan, established in 1990. JAIST was established in the centre of Ishikawa Science Park (ISP). It is to the south of Kanazawa City. JAIST has programs of advanced research and development in science and technolo ...

(JAIST) * Joetsu University of Education *

Kagawa University is a national university in Takamatsu, Kagawa, Japan. The university was established in 1949 as a national university after the consolidation and reorganization of the Kagawa Normal School, the Kagawa Normal School for Youth and the Takamatsu C ...

* Kagoshima University * Kanazawa University * Kitami Institute of Technology *

Kobe University , also known in the Kansai region as , is a leading Japanese national university located in the city of Kobe, in Hyōgo. It was established in 1949, but the academic origins of Kobe University trace back to the establishment of Kobe Higher Comme ...

* Kochi University * Kumamoto University * Kyoto Institute of Technology * Kyoto University of Education *

Kyushu Institute of Technology is one of the 87 national universities in Japan. Located in Fukuoka Prefecture on the island of Kyushu, it is dedicated to education and research in the fields of science and technology. It is earlier abbreviated to KIT and is now officially ab ...

Mie University Mie University (三重大学; ''Mie Daigaku'', abbreviated to 三重大 ''Miedai'') is a national university in Tsu, Mie Prefecture, Japan. As with other national universities, Mie University has been a National University Corporation since Apr ...

* Miyagi University of Education *

Muroran Institute of Technology , abbreviated as MuroranIT, MuIT, or Muroran Tech is a national university in Muroran, Hokkaido, Japan. History *1897 Sapporo Agricultural College Department of Civil Engineering Established *1918 Sapporo Agricultural College promoted to Hokkaid ...

Nagaoka University of Technology , abbreviated as Nagaoka Gidai, is a national technology university founded in 1976 in Nagaoka, Niigata, Japan. It is one of only two Universities of Technology, a form of university in Japan, the other being Toyohashi University of Technology ...

* Nagasaki University *

Nagoya Institute of Technology The , abbreviated to Nitech (or in Japanese to 名工大, ''Meikōdai''), is a public highest-level educational institution of science and technology located in Nagoya, Japan. Nitech was founded in 1905 as ''Nagoya Higher Technical School'', then ...

Nara Institute of Science and Technology ) , city = Ikoma (Kansai Science City) , state = Nara , country = Japan , postgrad = 1,043 , administrative_staff= 374 , campus = Suburban,139,967 m², , mascot = None , free_label = , free = , endowment= US$-- billion(JP¥-- billi ...

* Nara University of Education *

Nara Women's University is a national women's university located in Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan. It is one of two national women's universities in the country, the other being Ochanomizu University.For more about the legal status of "national universities" in Japan, s ...

Naruto University of Education is a national university A national university is mainly a university created or managed by a government, but which may also at the same time operate autonomously without direct control by the state. Some national universities are associated w ...

* National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies *

National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya is a national university in Kanoya, Kagoshima, Japan, founded in 1981. Four alumni participated in the swimming and volleyball events in the Beijing Olympics, including Athens Olympics swimming gold medalist Ai Shibata. Four players partici ...

* Niigata University *

Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine is a university in Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan, commonly referred to as Obihiro University. It was founded in 1941, as the Obihiro Technical School of Veterinary Medicine. As of 2009, the university employs 136 faculty members and a full-time sta ...

Ochanomizu University is a women's university in the Ōtsuka neighborhood of Bunkyō-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Ochanomizu University is one of the top national universities in Japan. Ochanomizu is the name of a Tokyo neighborhood where the university was founded. ...

* Oita University * Okayama University *

Osaka Kyoiku University is a national university with headquarters in the city of Kashiwara, Osaka, Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture, Japan and a branch campus in Tennōji-ku, Osaka, Tennōji-ku in the prefectural capital city of Osaka. It was established in 1949 by the mer ...

Otaru University of Commerce is a national university in Japan. The main campus of the university is in Otaru, Hokkaido, with a satellite campus in Chūō-ku, Sapporo. Overview The university is often called "Taru-shō" or "Shō-dai". The graduate university has a MBA ...

* Saga University *

Saitama University Saitama University (埼玉大学, ''Saitama Daigaku'') is a Japanese national university located in a suburban area of Sakura-ku, Saitama City, capital of Saitama Prefecture in Tokyo Metropolitan Area. Founded in 1873, it became a national uni ...

* Shiga University * Shiga University of Medical Science *

Shimane University — colloquially known as — is a national university in Japan. Although formally established as a university in 1949, Shima-dai's origins date back to the late 19th century. In 2003 it merged with the Shimane Medical University (established ...

Shinshu University , abbreviated to , is a Japanese national university located in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, Japan. As the only university in Japan bearing the name of a former Japanese province, it bears the name "Shinshu" (alternative name for Shinano Pro ...

* Shizuoka University * Tokushima University *

Tokyo Gakugei University Tokyo Gakugei University (東京学芸大学, ''Tōkyō gakugei daigaku'') is a national university in Koganei, Tokyo. Founded in 1873, it was chartered as a university in 1949. It is also known as ''Gakudai'' (学大) and TGU, for short. In ad ...

* Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology *

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies , often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. TUFS is primarily devoted to foreign language, international affairs and foreign studies. It also features an Asia-African institution. History The ...

Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology , abbreviated as , is a national university in Japan. The main campus (Shinagawa Campus) is located in Minato, Tokyo and another campus (Etchujima Campus) is in Kōtō, Tokyo. History The university was established in 2003 with a merger of t ...

Tokyo University of the Arts or is the most prestigious art school in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju and Adachi, Tokyo. The university has trained renowned artists in the fields of painting, scul ...

Tottori University , abbreviated to , is a national university in Japan. The main campus is located in Koyamachō-Minami, Tottori City, Tottori Prefecture. Another campus, the Faculty of Medicine, is located on the Yonago Campus in Yonago, Tottori. History Tott ...

Toyohashi University of Technology Toyohashi University of Technology (豊橋技術科学大学; ''Toyohashi Gijutsu Kagaku Daigaku''), often abbreviated to Toyohashi Tech, or TUT, is a national engineering university located in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan. Distinguished for the upp ...

* Tsukuba University of Technology * University of Electro-Communications * University of Fukui * University of Miyazaki * University of the Ryukyus *

University of Toyama The is a Japanese national university in Toyama Prefecture established in 1949. The University of Toyama has three campuses, namely the Gofuku, Sugitani, and Takaoka campuses. The University of Toyama, Sugitani campus is the home to Institut ...

* University of Yamanashi * Utsunomiya University *

Wakayama University , or , is a national university located in Wakayama, Japan. It was founded in 1949 and is organized in four faculties. Organization The university is divided into the following four faculties. *Faculty of Education & Graduate School of Education ...

Yamagata University is a national university located in the Japanese cities of Yamagata, Yonezawa, and Tsuruoka in Yamagata Prefecture. The Times Higher Education released World University Rankings 2016–2017. Yamagata University ranked 600-800th out of the to ...

* Yamaguchi University * Yokohama National University Although

The Open University of Japan is a distance learning university which has students from all over Japan; it accepted its first students in 1985. History Although founded by the national government initiative with a single-issue law and heavily subsidized by the government ...

and Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology are founded by the national government's initiatives and heavily subsidised by the government, they are classified as private.

References

{{reflist

External links

The Japan Association of National Universities
National