Keio University and Tokyo Dental College announced Thursday that they have started discussions to merge their educational corporations, with an April 2023 target date.
The move is believed to be part of the schools' strategy to survive by improving its brand power amid Japan's chronically low birth rate and the worsening business environment for universities. The recent announcement may affect moves of other universities.
According to the announcement, Tokyo Dental College asked Keio University to discuss the merger on Nov. 6, and Keio's board of councilors decided Thursday to start discussions.
Keio University had acquired Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy in 2008, and the latest merger would make Keio the first university to have four medical departments -- medicine, nursing and medical care, pharmacy and dentistry -- on top of liberal arts.
Keio Univeristy explained it can contribute to the realization of a society of health and longevity by further promoting interdisciplinary research and education.
Tokyo Dental College, which was founded in 1890 as the Takayama Dental School, has a long historical connection with Keio. For instance, its founder studied at Keio.
According to the college, it has been considering merging with Keio University with the aim of nurturing dentists with a wide range of knowledge.
Japan's low birth rate has brought university management to a crossroads.
Both Keio University and Tokyo Dental College say their business conditions are "stable." However, the number of students who take the exams of the National Center for University Entrance Examination decreased from its peak of over 600,000 in 2003 to about 550,000 this year. As the number of students is expected to continue to decline, there will inevitably be fierce competition to attract competent students.
According to the government's School Basic Survey, there were 180 national and public universities, 615 private universities and 323 junior colleges, bringing the total to 1,118, as of May 1.
There have been nine mergers of educational corporations operating private universities, according to the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. One example was Seibo College and Sophia University, both in Tokyo, in 2011.
"The number of universities had been on the rise since the end of World War II, and the trend of school mergers is expected to accelerate in the future," said University of Tsukuba Prof. Motohisa Kaneko, an expert on university education. "The recent case [between Tokyo Dental College and Keio University] is seen as an aggressive attempt to improve the quality of their research and education, but some universities may be forced to merge for economic reasons."
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