In Japan, university hospitals conduct clinical trials on behalf of pharmaceutical companies under a contract research arrangement that is exempt from corporate income tax under specific conditions. This exemption applies when the contract stipulates that the university retain certain rights to the research results or ensure that the research findings are publicly available. This study investigates whether the standard contract forms used by university hospitals in Japan meet these requirements, and evaluates the suitability of conducting clinical trials as contract research at these institutions. The findings indicate that most university contracts fail to meet tax exemption criteria. For instance, many private university contracts grant the sponsor full rights, whereas no contracts from national universities require the public disclosure of research results. Typically, pharmaceutical companies initiate clinical trials to obtain drug approval, rather than universities or researchers initiating them. Consequently, the purpose of a clinical trial differs from that of contract research. Under these circumstances, to conduct clinical trials using a contract research system is not appropriate. Instead, a framework that considers the purpose and nature of such trials should be established.

 This study traces the establishment of “Kenkyushitsu” （「研究室」） in the Faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Imperial University of Tokyo, which adopted the “Seminar” of German universities. Accordingly, the focus is on two aspects: the practice of education through research and research itself (“research” phase), and the physical facilities and equipment that accumulate books, materials, specimens, and so on for that practice (“room” phase). The early “Kenkyushitsu” have in common that they were established in the 1890s and that they had founders who established the “research” and “room” phases as one entity based on their experiences in Europe, especially Germany. The background to this is the process in which the reception of “Seminar,” which was formed in German universities in the 19th century, transformed from the practice of education through research to physical facilities and equipment, and were adopted by the Imperial University of Tokyo due to institutional factors such as the institutionalization of Japanese study abroad programs and the “Chair System” （「講座制」）, as well as human and generational factors.

 This study compares and contrasts the discourses on universities' “publicness” in official position papers and reports published by the Japan Association of National Universities (JANU) and the Japan Association of Private Universities and Colleges (JAPUC). “Publicness,” which is a term somewhat similar to “public good” but more commonly used in Japanese, has been used in higher education policies, laws, and general discussions to describe the characteristics and roles expected of universities. While both JANU and JAPUC have used the concept of “publicness” to refer to the social, economic, and public values of their member institutions, distinct differences exist in the kinds of roles and functions they emphasize. The researcher identified four categories, the “public goods” and “benefits” discourses in JANU documents, and the “official characteristics” and “civic sphere” discourses in JAPUC documents.

 This study discusses these four categories and how they have been used to justify claims for public support. The changing policy environment, such as roll-back neoliberalism, knowledge society narratives, and policy priorities on social issues, are also argued to have contributed to shifts in these discourses.

 This study examines regional differences in the perceptions of universities held by local residents in their respective communities. Accordingly, a web-based survey was conducted to assess perceptions of both the positive and negative impacts of universities' presence in these areas. Correspondence analysis revealed that in regions where new universities had been established, expectations existed for regional development, but also friction between long-time residents and university students. By contrast, in suburban areas, universities were associated with negative perceptions regarding public services such as public transportation and tax revenue, which indicates regional disparities. Additionally, positive and negative impacts were often intertwined. While universities were generally associated with expectations related to youthfulness, the ongoing decline in birth rates raises concerns that such institutions may no longer meet the expectations of residents who anticipate the presence of young people in the future.

 This study investigates the key features of Finland's diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies and initiatives, ultimately providing insights for promoting DEI in Japanese higher education. Complemented by interview data, official reports, regulations, and university policies from the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture and University of Helsinki are examined.

 At the national level, Finland promotes equality, nondiscrimination, and diversity through legal frameworks and data monitoring. Universities and stakeholders uphold these values as societal ideas. However, owing to language and environmental constraints, demographic challenges, such as a declining birthrate and an aging population, create barriers to integrating international students and staff.

 While complying with national laws, the University of Helsinki has adopted a holistic DEI approach that prioritizes well-being and stress reduction. Notably, the emphasis on participatory decision-making, particularly student engagement in developing DEI outcome indicators, reflects a strong student-centered approach. This suggests the potential for rethinking the university's internal quality assurance system to better support such initiatives.

 Based on student-engaged faculty development (FD), this case study examines the participation of general students, beyond voluntary student members, in student-engaged instructional improvement initiatives. Although the role of general students has often been undervalued, no studies have directly explored their involvement, leaving this aspect insufficiently examined. The current study focuses on the student-engaged FD organization at Okayama University, which has a system where both voluntary and general students are selected as student committee members. Semi-structured interviews clarify the actual participation of general students and its effects. The opinions of participating general students are confirmed to play a crucial role in the organization's activities and management. While voluntary and general students follow different growth trajectories, their coexistence enables them to learn from each other's perspectives, acquire diverse skills, and, in some cases, influence their future career paths. Based on the findings, no compelling reason exists to exclude general students from student engagement. Moving forward, to ensure opportunities for a diverse range of students, including the general population, to participate is essential.

 This study examines the characteristics of capstone experience types at Stanford University, focusing on two research questions: Why did the university make capstone requirements mandatory for students entering Fall 2021 with diverse methods, and what types of capstone experiences were established across different majors? Analysis of the university bulletin and reform reports revealed five types of capstone experience: arts project or performance, senior paper or project, honors thesis, capstone seminar, and capstone project, which can be categorized along two dimensions: course format (independent study based on individual research advising and seminars and projects through capstone courses) and level (standard and honors). Stanford's adoption of multiple capstone types was driven by two factors: the need to accommodate different disciplinary characteristics and student needs, and the importance of maintaining the academic standards of honors programs. While capstone seminar/ project courses emerged as the predominant type across majors, many maintained independent study options through honors programs. These findings demonstrate how capstone types are closely connected with the purposes of undergraduate education and the principles of curriculum design in U.S. higher education, thereby providing implications for Japanese universities in reconsidering the delivery of graduation research.

 This study examines research on the development of a community of students in the prewar period in Japan and discusses future prospects. By analyzing the prewar period, which marks the origin of higher education in Japan, the factors influencing student activities that remain relevant today are identified. The aforementioned research encompasses studies on school disturbances and student representations. Research on the former investigates school disruptions and student movements, while that on the latter explores aspects of culture, including school uniforms, school flags, and college songs.

 This study derives three main conclusions:

(1) Many studies still primarily focus on analyzing school disturbances from the viewpoint of leftist movements.

(2) A limited number of studies exist on student representations in higher education regarding school flags, uniforms, and college songs.

(3) Developing a community in groups such as “Seinendan” includes the common element of youth seeking social interaction.

 A lack of research on private universities, especially in the Taisho and Showa periods, is noted. By utilizing the historical records and archives of individual universities, the research on developing a community of students can be further advanced by examining school disturbances and student representations.

 Based on the period of Japanese occupation, this historical study investigates how universities responded to the government in a political context.

 In the early years of the occupation, the prewar practice of academic freedom was institutionalized in the Constitution and the Fundamental Law of Education; however, from around 1948, U.S. policy toward Japan shifted toward Japanese independence and the Ministry of Education was restored to power. How did university professorships defend academic freedom in such a reactionary situation? This study examines this question based on the words and actions of Shigeru Nanbara, the first president of the University of Tokyo.

This work consists of three sections.

Section 1 discusses the reasons Nanbara defended academic freedom and why he was able to do so.

Section 2 discusses the strategies Nanbara used in defending academic freedom.

Section 3 presents the following concluding remarks: (1) academic freedom was an essential element for Nanbara to realize his ideal world, and (2) he was able to defend such freedom due to his ability to manage social movements.

 Using panel data (2005-2021) compiled from the financial statements of 86 National University corporations, this study aims to verify the management behavior of National Universities under tight public spending conditions. This study is unique in that it incorporates the variable “time” into a hierarchical linear model to reveal changes in financial indicators within institutions.

The main findings are as follows:

 First, National Universities have conducted their educational and research activity operations within the framework of incorporation, ultimately responding to the higher education policy and financial macro shocks, while shrugging off the fixed-rate reduction in grants and, above all, aiming to obtain external fund revenues.

 Second, the financial situation of such universities has become so dire that they are unable to cover their educational expenses with operating grants alone and have come to depend on external funds.

 Third, a convergence pattern exists in which the speed of change is slower for universities with higher financial indicators (intercept) and increases more rapidly for those with lower intercepts. However, why such a mechanism emerges, and whether the government or individual universities is responsible for the convergence is a subject for future analysis.

 With a focus on staff who are not in the “Third Space” professional roles, this study examines how professional services staff in UK higher education (HE) institutions develop their careers. Interviews with 14 university staff members from the “Job Shadowing HE” podcast series reveals a cyclical career management structure consisting of five phases: (1) navigating undefined career paths with individual-driven development, (2) acquiring new skills through job transitions, (3) gaining objective perspectives through internal and external networks, (4) transforming work through new organizational relationships, and (5) redefining professional identity. These findings suggest that despite the absence of clearly defined career trajectories, staff actively construct their career paths through continuous self-reflection and identity redefinition. The results also imply distinct career development patterns among different job levels, with senior managers often pursuing HE degrees after getting in HE and middle managers either advancing to senior positions or specializing in specific areas. While the sample size and institutional representation limit the generalizability of this study, it provides valuable insights into how professional university staff navigate career development in the UK HE sector, thereby highlighting the importance of self-directed career management and continuous professional identity formation.

 Focusing on the case of Tsuda College in the postwar period, this study examines the establishment process of women's universities in Japan. Although women's higher education (HE) had been limited before World War II, the introduction of the new university system in 1948 enabled the creation of women's universities. To explore how Tsuda College attained university status, this study analyzes historical documents, including applications for university establishment approval and notes from board meetings. The findings highlight four key factors: (1) the institution's prewar preparations for university status, (2) financial support from alumni associations, (3) collaboration among women's HE institutions, and (4) influence from the Civil Information and Education Section. This research highlights the historical continuity of women's universities in Japan and the specific conditions that enabled their transition to university status.

 Through case studies of three UK universities with different research orientations, this study examines organizational approaches to impact assessment in the Research Excellence Framework (REF). Since the 1990s, research quality has emphasized the social, economic, and cultural impacts through organizational management alongside scientific validity. The UK introduced impact assessment in the 2014 REF, ultimately increasing its weighting from 20% to 25% in 2021. Meanwhile, in Japan, knowledge and experience regarding research impact assessment remain insufficient, and universities are still exploring effective implementation methods.

 This study analyzes institutional-level environmental statements and codes of practice from three UK universities, the University of Cambridge (research university), University of Glasgow (quasi-research university), and University of Kent (teaching-oriented university) - focusing on four aspects: strategy, organizational structure, the system for supporting and evaluating researchers, and information dissemination.

 Each university adopts a distinct approach, with the University of Cambridge pursuing comprehensive impact creation based on existing research excellence; the University of Glasgow emphasizing the cultivation of the impact culture and enhancement of individual career development and the research environment; and the University of Kent focusing on regional contributions while pursuing global research excellence in selected fields. These findings underscore the development of organizational approaches to impact assessment that reflect institutional characteristics and resource capabilities.

 This study explores the decision-making process of Vietnamese undergraduate students choosing Japan as their study destination. Qualitative interviews with six Vietnamese students who considered or pursued undergraduate studies in Japan were used to examine the factors influencing their choices. Developed based on multiple previous studies, incorporating Mazzarol and Soutar's (2002) multi-stage decision-making model, this study applies a unique analytical framework that focuses on four key stages: the decision to study abroad, country selection, institution selection, and post-graduation plans.

 The findings highlight the significance of economic, social, and cultural factors in shaping students' choices. Additionally, the availability of English-taught programs and financial support play crucial roles in their decision-making. Early outreach efforts, strategic scholarship allocation, and the expansion of English-taught programs in Japanese universities could enhance Japan's attractiveness as a study destination. The findings provide valuable insights into Japan's international student recruitment strategies and contribute to broader discussions on global student mobility.

 This study clarifies how the term used to refer to “university autonomy” in Japanese has been handled and changed in government council reports and other university policy documents, and what these changes mean.

 Reports from government councils on education from 1945 and university policy documents on the incorporation of independent administrative agencies from 1997 are analyzed from three perspectives: (1) subject, (2) content, and (3) evaluation.

 The results reveal that when socially impactful events such as university disputes and the incorporation of government agencies as independent corporations occurred, university policy documents attempted to change the image of university autonomy by treating faculty autonomy negatively and switching from the word “jiti” to “Jishu/Jiritsu.”

 Recently, alumni associations have received attention as external actors managing national universities in Japan, where the management environment is becoming challenging. This study discusses how national universities in Japan have expected alumni associations to be supportive organizations and how the associations have met the expectations since the universities' incorporation in 2004. Adapting the Qualitative Document Analysis to the mid-term management plans of Japanese national universities, published every six years, and the performance reports were analyzed. The analysis focusing on 64 universities, which include topics about alumni associations in their mid-term management plans, indicates that the trend of expectations from the universities to alumni associations started from “student support” and shifted to “international communication” and “funding.” In particular, the trend has reflected the impact of the internationalization of universities more as we approach the present. The alumni associations meeting the expectations tend to be as follows: First, areas of activities match the features of such associations. Second, the universities actively engage with the associations. Since this study is based only on publicly available documents, conducting case studies in the future may be helpful.

 The number of undergraduate graduates enrolling in graduate programs peaked in 2010 and has since declined. In particular, students in the humanities and social sciences are noted for their reluctance to pursue advanced education. Drawing on an overview of graduate school enrollment trends in these fields and comparing them with those in other developed countries, this study captures individual perspectives on why students decide to or not to pursue graduate education. The qualitative data were empirically analyzed using thematic analysis with AI coding and integrated with quantitative data regarding students' attributes. The thematic analysis identified issues such as insufficient information on graduate education, a fixed image of what such education entails, time and financial constraints associated with obtaining advanced degrees, and a demand for more flexible learning formats. The integrated analysis further suggested that various student attributes influence these issues. A mixed-method approach will enable a more scientific analysis of the qualitative data derived from complex educational settings, particularly as the survey sample expands and additional information on individual and institutional attributes is incorporated.