In 1983, The Open University of Japan (OUJ) was established with the mission of being an open university where anyone who wants to learn can learn anytime, anywhere, and began broadcasting programs in 1985. The use of television broadcasting was central to OUJ, as in the cases of other open universities in the world. It also symbolized the innovative education style at that time, making it possible for students to take courses no matter where they were as long as a television set was available.

Over the next 40 years, while broadcast programs became available to many people, the advent of the Internet enabled information to be delivered around the world, and international movement of people became more active. The education systems designed according to the conditions of broadcasting back then need to be reshaped, whereas the broadcasting education style has become rather obsolete. Under such circumstances it is vital for OUJ to redefine the beneficiaries of its service.

In order to fulfill its innate mission, OUJ needs to actively provide education to people living outside Japan and those with non-Japanese backgrounds. They have so far been beyond the scope of OUJ. At this symposium, new projects for expanding OUJ’s scope will be discussed, drawing on the experiences and expertise of two pioneering institutions in this field, Universitas Terbuka in Indonesia and Tilburg University in the Netherlands.