Information Provision
NIAD-QE collects and provides useful information on quality assurance in higher education through its website, publications and forums/seminars. Those activities aim to disseminate a quality assurance culture through the higher education sector in Japan, as well as to contribute to further development of internal quality assurance activities in universities and colleges.
Information Package
The Information Package is a comprehensive selection of basic information on quality assurance in Japanese and various nations’ higher education. It contains Glossary of Quality Assurance in Japanese Higher Education, Overviews of Quality Assurance System in Higher Education, NIAD-QE's evaluation and accreditation materials.
The package serves as promoting understanding of higher education and quality assurance in Japan and related countries. It can also help higher education institutions that intend to build and strengthen international activities with overseas partners to understand foreign systems.
Glossary of Quality Assurance in Japanese Higher Education (online version)

Glossary of Quality Assurance in Japanese Higher Education (online version) is now available. The content is continuously updated as needed based on amendments to the related laws. You can browse the glossary using search words.
Online version is created based on Glossary of Quality Assurance in Japanese Higher Education (5th edition) published by NIAD-QE in August 2021. Please note that this online version may differ from the 5th edition, since the content is continuously updated as needed.
Glossary of Quality Assurance in Japanese Higher Education (5th edition) [2021]

NIAD-QE has published the fifth edition of the “Glossary of Quality Assurance in Japanese Higher Education.” It focuses on terms relating to higher education and quality assurance system in Japan. It is a bilingual book written in English and Japanese.
The fifth edition reflects trends in the higher education and quality assurance systems, revisions to the relevant legislation, and relevant stakeholders’ opinions about the glossary since we published the previous edition in 2016. It contains 179 terms (of which 22 are newly added). In addition to terms relating to internal quality assurance—which became important in the 3rd cycle of institutional certified evaluation and accreditation (since 2018)—the establishment of the Japanese official National Information Center (NIC), National Information Center for Academic Recognition Japan (NIC-Japan), within NIAD-QE in September 2019 has prompted us to add terms relating to NIC as well.
Overviews of Quality Assurance System in Higher Education
The Overview series provides information on quality assurance systems in Japan, the USA, the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Australia, China, Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Mongolia. The publication provide basic information on their respective countries’ higher education and quality assurance systems, and serve to promote understanding between Japanese universities and their overseas counterparts.
- Overview of the Higher Education and Quality Assurance Systems
JAPAN
2019
3rd edition
Japanese versions are downloadable from HERE
NIAD-QE’s evaluation and accreditation materials
English translations of documents related to the principles, criteria and methods used by NIAD-QE in its evaluations and accreditations.
- Certified Evaluation and Accreditation (CEA)
General Principles of Institutional Certified Evaluation and Accreditation: Universities 2019-2026
2018
- Certified Evaluation and Accreditation (CEA)
Standards for Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities 2019-2026
2018
- Certified Evaluation and Accreditation (CEA)
Practical Instructions for Self-Assessment
2015
- Institutional Thematic Assessments (ITA)
Internationalization of Higher Education
2013
- Certified Evaluation and Accreditation (CEA)
General Principles of Institutional Certified Evaluation and Accreditation: Universities 2012-2019
2011
- Certified Evaluation and Accreditation (CEA)
Standards for Evaluation and Accreditation of Universities 2012-2019
2011
Other resources
- International Cooperation Website
(Japanese language only)This website provides information on recent developments in quality assurance in other countries, which is regularly updated online. NIAD-QE has won the APQN Quality Award in April 2013 in the category of Quality Information System, being recognized our International Cooperation Website as a good practice that have potential of replications among network.
- Quality Assurance for Higher Education in Japan
2012The English translation of part of the 5th volume of ‘University Evaluation Series’ written by Dr. Akihiko Kawaguchi, Executive Consultant of NIAD-QE