One year has passed since Japan's national universities gained corporate status. How have they changed? Following are my personal views on the merits and demerits of some of the changes.
Consider budgeting. Previously, the budgets of national universities -- which were provided through the "national-school special account" -- were extremely rigid because personnel and nonpersonnel expenses were allocated mechanically according to the number of teachers.
Since incorporation, personnel and nonpersonnel expenses have been lumped together as "operating-expense grants." The education ministry determines the amounts of these payments before distributing them to the universities, but decisions on how to use the money are left to each university.