School Education Act

A university is to have a faculty council.

The faculty council is to state their opinions when the principal makes decisions regarding the following matters:

admittance, graduation, and completion of courses of students;

granting of degrees;

important matters related to education and research, which the principal prescribes as matters which requires hearing the opinion of the faculty council, beyond what is stated in the preceding two items.

In addition to what is provided for in the preceding paragraph, the faculty council may deliberate matters regarding education and research governed by the head of the organization (referred to below as "principal and other heads" in this paragraph) containing faculty councils, including the principal and chairperson, and may state opinions in compliance with the request of the principal and other heads.

Organizations of faculty councils may add staff, including associate professors.

When prescribing standards of establishment for universities pursuant to the provisions of Article 3, and when prescribing standards pursuant to the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (5), the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology must conduct consultations with councils or other organizations prescribed by Cabinet Order.

When granting approval for the establishment of universities and when giving orders under the provisions of Article 4, paragraph (3), or Article 15, paragraph (2), or paragraph (3), or giving recommendations under the provisions of paragraph (1) of that article, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology must consult in councils or other organizations prescribed by Cabinet Order.

Research institutions including laboratories may be attached to universities.

Universities may have graduate schools.

Public and private universities are to be under the management of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Graduate school is to have the purpose of teaching and researching the theory and application of scholarly activities, mastering their profoundity, or fostering deep knowledge and outstanding abilities in order to take up occupations requiring high levels of expertise, and contribute to the advancement of culture.

Among graduate schools, those which are to have the purpose of teaching and researching the theory and application of scholarly activities, and fostering deep knowledge and outstanding abilities in order to take up occupations requiring high levels of expertise, are to be professional graduate schools.

Professional graduate schools are to make efforts to organize and implement curricula, and improve the quality of teachers, with the cooperation of relevant persons including persons holding down occupations requiring that high levels of expertise, and persons conducting businesses relating to the relevant occupations, pursuant to the provisions of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Universities with a graduate school, as a rule, are to have academic units; provided, however, that there may be organizations other than graduate programs which will form the basis of education and research, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, if it is beneficial and appropriate in order to achieve the education and research purposes of the relevant universities.

Universities with graduate schools may have graduate programs for providing night classes, or graduate programs providing education through correspondence courses.

Persons who may be enrolled in graduate schools are persons who have graduated from universities as referred to in Article 83, or persons who are deemed to have the equivalent or greater scholastic ability pursuant to the provisions of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology; provided, however, that when there is a necessity in graduate program education and research, a person possessing a master's degree or a degree prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as provided for in the provisions of Article 104, paragraph (3), or a person who is deemed to have the equivalent or greater scholastic ability, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, may qualify for admittance to the relevant graduate program.

Notwithstanding the provisions of the main clause of the preceding paragraph, for universities with graduate schools, a person who has been enrolled in the universities referred to in Article 83, as prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, for the number of years or more as prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (This includes a person prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, as an equivalent to this), and a person found to have obtained the credits prescribed by universities with the relevant graduate schools with excellent grades (This includes a person found to possess equivalent or greater abilities and qualities, on the basis of what is prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as the state of obtaining the relevant credits and what is equivalent to this), may be enrolled in the relevant graduate schools.

If there is a special necessity for education and research, a graduate school may be referred to as a university without having faculties, notwithstanding the provisions of Article 85.

Universities (except professional and vocational universities and universities in Article 108, paragraph (2) (referred to below as "junior college" in this article); the same applies below in this paragraph and paragraph (7)) are to grant a bachelor's degree to persons who have graduated from university, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Professional and vocational universities are to grant a degree as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to a person who has graduated from professional and vocational university (for professional and vocational universities with courses sectioned into lower courses and upper courses pursuant to the provisions of Article 87-2, paragraph (1); this includes a person who has completed the lower courses), as prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Universities with graduate schools are to grant a master's degree or doctoral degree to a person who has completed graduate school (except professional graduate schools) courses, and a degree as prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to a person who has completed professional graduate school courses, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Universities with graduate schools may grant a doctoral degree to a person who is deemed to have equivalent or greater scholastic ability as those who were granted a doctoral degree pursuant to the provisions of the preceding paragraph, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Junior Colleges (except professional and vocational junior colleges; the same applies below in this paragraph) are to grant an associate degree to a person who has graduated from junior college, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Professional and vocational junior colleges are to grant a degree as prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology to a person who has graduated from professional and vocational junior college, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education is to grant degrees in each of the following relevant items, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology:

a person who has graduated from Junior College (this includes the lower courses of professional and vocational universities) or a college of technology (for the lower courses of professional and vocational universities, a person who has completed them), or a person equivalent to this who has obtained a certain amount of credit in university or its equivalent by performing studies as prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology:bachelor's degree;

a person who has completed what is deemed to be education provided as equivalent to university or graduate school, in courses with special regulations within other laws for providing relevant education, out of providing education similar to school education in educational facilities other than a school:bachelor's degree, master's degree, or doctoral degree.

When prescribing matters regarding degrees, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology must hold consultation with councils or other organizations as prescribed by Cabinet Order in Article 94 of this Act.

Universities may organize special courses targeted at persons other than students of the relevant university, and they may issue a certificate to persons who have completed those courses, as testament to the fact of completion, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Universities may grant the title of emeritus professor to persons who have worked as the principal, vice-principal, dean, professors, and associate professors or lecturers, who have special educational or scholastic achievements as provided for by the relevant university.