February 14, 2005
Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ) is pleased to announce its official recognition by Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). TUJ becomes the first postsecondary educational institution in Japan with overseas roots to receive MEXT’s designation as a Foreign University, Japan Campus. The new status makes it possible for TUJ credits to be recognized by Japanese universities and allows TUJ graduates to apply to the graduate schools of Japanese public universities.
To be designated as a Foreign University, Japan Campus, TUJ was required to meet several criteria. One criterion is that the degree programs offered by the Japan Campus must be the same as the equivalent degree programs at the parent institution (in TUJ’s case, Temple University, which is a Pennsylvania state university). Another is that the parent institution must have full university status in its country of origin.
To receive its designation, TUJ provided the necessary documents to the United States embassy, which made the formal request to MEXT. On February 14, TUJ was notified by MEXT that its application was accepted, making TUJ Japan’s first Foreign University, Japan Campus. In response to the Ministry’s announcement that TUJ had been granted Foreign University, Japan Campus status, Ambassador Howard H. Baker, Jr. commented: ” This recognition speaks highly of Temple University as an institution of higher education and of American education in general. I’m delighted that the Ministry’s decision will give more Japanese students the chance to benefit from a high-quality, U.S.-style international education. Following the example that Temple has set, I hope other American schools will seriously consider the option of opening branch campuses in Japan.”
The dean of TUJ, Kirk R. Patterson, added that “in creating this new university recognition category, MEXT has demonstrated its strong commitment to innovation and reform in higher education. With this recognition and the confirmation of our academic quality that it represents, TUJ will be better able to meet the needs of its growing student body. At the same time, we are well aware that as the first Foreign University, Japan Campus, we have a special responsibility to work even harder to contribute to the further development of the Japanese educational system.”
TUJ was established in Tokyo in 1982 as a branch campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Since that time, TUJ has sought to resolve such issues as its inability to sponsor student visas, its students’ inability to receive commuting pass discounts and to receive an exemption from paying into the National Pension Plan, and its disadvantageous tax status. TUJ hopes that this recognition by MEXT represents a major step toward resolving these long-standing issues.