As of 2008, there were 87 national universities (国立大学, kokuritsu daigaku), 89 public universities, and 580 private universities in Japan.[1] National universities tend to have a good reputation in higher education in Japan. They are often more difficult to get into than private or public universities.
In 2004, the national university system changed. National universities were no longer completely public public and more of a private. Since 2004, every national university has become a special type of corporation. They are called "national university corporations" (国立大学法人, kokuritsu daigaku hōjin). They now have more freedom and less control from the government. Faculty and staff are no longer government employees (国家公務員, kokka kōmuin), and they do not work for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
This is a complete list of Japanese national universities:
- Aichi University of Education
- Akita University
- Asahikawa Medical University
- Chiba University
- Ehime University
- Fukuoka University of Education
- Fukushima University
- Gifu University
- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies
- Gunma University
- Hamamatsu University School of Medicine
- Hirosaki University
- Hiroshima University
- Hitotsubashi University (former Tokyo College of Commerce)
- Hokkaido University (former Hokkaido Imperial University)
- Hokkaido University of Education
- Hyogo University of Teacher Education
- Ibaraki University
- Iwate University
- Japan Advanced Institute of Science And Technology
- Joetsu University of Education
- Kagawa University
- Kagoshima University
- Kanazawa University
- Kitami Institute of Technology
- Kobe University
- Kochi University
- Kumamoto University
- Kyoto Institute of Technology
- Kyoto University (former Kyoto Imperial University)
- Kyoto University of Education
- Kyushu Institute of Technology
- Kyushu University (former Kyushu Imperial University)
- Mie University
- Miyagi University of Education
- Muroran Institute of Technology
- Nagaoka University of Technology
- Nagasaki University
- Nagoya Institute of Technology
- Nagoya University (former Nagoya Imperial University)
- Nara Institute of Science and Technology
- Nara University of Education
- Nara Women's University
- Naruto University of Education
- National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies
- National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya
- Niigata University
- Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine
- Ochanomizu University
- Oita University
- Okayama University
- Osaka Kyoiku University
- Osaka University (former Osaka Imperial University)
- Otaru University of Commerce
- Saga University
- Saitama University
- Shiga University
- Shiga University of Medical Science
- Shimane University
- Shinshu University
- Shizuoka University
- Tohoku University (former Tohoku Imperial University)
- Tokyo Gakugei University
- Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Tokyo Medical and Dental University
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
- Tokyo University of Foreign Studies
- Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
- Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
- Tottori University
- Toyohashi University of Technology
- Tsukuba University of Technology
- University of Electro-Communications
- University of Fukui
- University of Miyazaki
- University of the Ryukyus
- University of Tokushima
- The University of Tokyo (former Tokyo Imperial University)
- University of Toyama
- University of Tsukuba
- University of Yamanashi
- Utsunomiya University
- Wakayama University
- Yamagata University
- Yamaguchi University
- Yokohama National University
The Government of Japan started The Open University of Japan and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology. It also supports them with money. However, these two universities are not national universities; they are private universities.