Open University of Japan

Infobox University
name = The Open University of Japan
native_name = 放送大学


motto = Whenever, Wherever, Whoever,
established = Founded 1981
Chartered 1983
type = Private
president = Dr.Hiromitsu Ishi
city = Wakaba, Mihama-ku, Chiba City
state = Chiba
country = Japan
undergrad = 80,799 (2007)
postgrad = 6,245 (2007)
campus = Urban (learning centers)
free_label = Member of
free = ICDE and AAOU
website = [http://www.u-air.ac.jp/eng/index.html www.u-air.ac.jp]
nihongo|The Open University of Japan |放送大学|Hōsō Daigaku|Formerly The University of the Air is a distance learning university which has students all over Japan; it accepted its first students in 1985.

Although founded by the national government initiative with a single-issue law and heavily subsidised by the government, it is established by nihongo|The Open University of Japan Academia|放送大学学園|Hōsō Daigaku Gakuen| as a nihongo|"special academic incorporation"|特別な学校法人|tokubetsu na gakkō hōjin, the University classified as a private university in Japan.

It had founded on the basis system of The Open University in the UK.The administration is based in Chiba City although it has offices and learning centers in each of Japan's 47 prefectures. The University offers accredited undergraduate and graduate degrees.

With nearly 90,000 students enrolled (in 2007), 45,000 students graduated from the University. It is one the largest academic institutions in the nation, and qualifies as one of the world's mega universities. Since it was founded, over 780,000 students have taken courses from the institution.

The English name of the university was renamed on 1 October 2007.

OUJ as a Broadcasting Station

The OUJ Academia broadcasts lectures and administrative announcement programs. It owns terrestrial television and radio broadcasting stations at the headquarters in Chiba City. All programs are recorded and edited at the headquarters and transmitted from the Tokyo Tower via UHF television and FM radio, and relayed at Maebashi, Gunma to reach Kantō region as well as hired Communications Satellite(CS) broadcasting channels to reach the whole nation. The broadcasts are exclusively in Japanese language as the medium of instruction. Article 50-4-1 of the Broadcasting Act prohibits the OUJ from broadcasting commercial messages. The cost of broadcasting system is subsidised by the national budget.

It is not affiliated with any other broadcasting networks (although there were supports from television stations in Tokyo at the beginning). As a television station it is the only purely independent/isolated terrestrial station in Japan.

Broadcast media

Reception is fee-free to general public.

Television: Analog 16ch(Tokyo), Analog 40ch(Maebashi), Digital 28ch (Tokyo･Maebashi).

Radio: 77.1MHz FM (Tokyo), 78.8MHz FM (Maebashi).

CS: SKY PerfecTV! nationwide. No contract charge or subscription fees are charged at OUJ-only recipients. Some cable television and cable radio also re-transmit the broadcasts.

See also

* School of the Air
* Satellite television

References