Top Global University Project

Top Global University (スーパーグローバル大学創成支援^?, Sūpā gurōbaru daigaku sōsei shien) is a funding project by the Japanese government which began in 2014. The project is administrated by the University of Tokyo. The project aims to enhance the globalization of the country's public and private universities so that graduates can "walk into positions of global leadership".

In 2009, the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) began a program to encourage foreign students to study at Japanese universities. The program was called Global 30. 13 universities participated by creating and offering English-only undergraduate programs. It was felt that English-only programs would encourage foreign students to come. Studying Japanese was an option, but not a requirement. The program was concluded in 2014 and replaced with the Top Global University project. The project is often mistranslated as "Super Global Universities" as it is a direct translation of the Japanese word スーパーグローバル大学創成支援.

The Top Global University project began as an initiative of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, who stated its aim was to help more of Japan's universities rank in the top 100 worldwide. This requirds the hiring of more foreign professors and increasing foreign student attendance at Japanese universities. According to Martin Ince of QS World University Rankings, Prime Minister Abe stated, "the number of foreign students at a university will define its success".

The program is slated to run from 2014 to 2023. Its total budget is ¥7.7 billion ($US 77 million). The funds will be used to hire faculty who are either foreigners or Japanese nationals who have graduated from foreign universities. Designated universities will also establish curricula for undergraduate degree programs, provide financial support for international students, and actively recruit students worldwide.

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