August 4, 2021

The Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers' group on August 3 made a representation to Education Minister Hagiuda Koichi, demanding that the government increase operational subsidies to national universities.

The JCP legislators also demanded that the system which forces universities to compete for government grants be abolished.

The government in 2004 incorporated state-owned universities and cut operational subsidies to the newly-established “corporations” by as much as 147 billion yen. In addition, it introduced a system to allocate part of the subsidies in accordance with each university's "achievements".

The National University Association claims that this system has been undermining diverse university characteristics, and recommends that the system be abolished.

In the representation, JCP Hatano Kimie (House of Representatives) pointed out that cuts in the operational subsidies and competitive grants have brought about a serious problem experienced mainly among young lecturers, and that many of them are now in unstable fixed-term employment positions.

Hatano said that the system should be revised to one rectifying the disparities between universities by such means as allocating extra grants to universities with weak fiscal foundations.

Past related article:
> National university association asks JCP for cooperation in efforts to achieve higher state subsidies [December 21, 2017]