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On August 26, 2021, the Prime Minister held the 56th meeting of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation at the Prime Minister’s Office.

At the meeting, the participants engaged in discussions on the course of action for university reforms.

Following the discussion, the Prime Minister said,
 
 “Today we discussed the course of action and concrete measures for reforms of Japanese universities. Implementing university reforms and strengthening their research and educational functions are important challenges in order to create innovation and achieve socio-economical growth.
 
The Government has proceeded with initiatives to encourage autonomous management of universities thus far. However, there is a big gap between universities in Japan and abroad, in terms of management reforms and raising funds. At this rate, Japan may fall behind in a global race for innovation.
 
Going forward, in order to foster universities that rank among the world’s finest, we will advance reforms in our universities that conduct top-level research. The key to this will be governance and financial resources.
 
As for governance, we will establish a system to formulate robust management strategies and to establish a decision-making body with outside personnel that elects and oversees the head of the university. For this purpose, we will aim to make necessary legal amendments in the next ordinary Diet session.
 
With regard to financial resources, we will provide prioritized assistance through investment gains earned on a university fund worth 10 trillion yen, so that universities engaged in reforms can conduct world-level researches. In doing so, we will also offer assistance to research personnel involved in cutting-edge research in doctoral programs.
 
In addition, it is important to enhance the university functions which would lead to regional revitalization. We will compile a package of a necessary policies so that core universities in various local regions can create new industries based on their unique research results, as in the case of Hirosaki University’s initiatives to utilize health data we heard about today.
 
Reinforcing our universities will be the foundation for cultivating people and industries as well as creating a prosperous future. I ask the relevant ministers to make sure that we can swiftly realize the measures presented today.”