Growth and Environmental Conservation of Japan’s National Universities

This study examines how national universities in Japan can achieve institutional growth and environmental conservation by analyzing primary data on the management performance and environmental impact of 20 national universities, with the aim of obtaining insights. Each fiscal year from 2019 to 2023 is analyzed independently, covering the periods before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Three key findings are presented. First, regression analyses based on the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis identify turning points in revenue per person (REV/PRS), ranging from JPY 4.733 to 5.242. These thresholds represent achievable targets for universities seeking to reduce CO₂ emissions per person. Second, empirical support for the EKC hypothesis can be attributed to not only the efforts made by individual universities but also interactions of three critical factors: (1) stricter emission regulations and guidelines; (2) competition for government grants; and (3) ratings of and initiatives undertaken by external organizations focused on environment, social, and governance performance. Third, and crucially, reaching the identified REV/PRS thresholds offers an empirical benchmark for validating the EKC hypothesis and illustrates a viable pathway for achieving institutional growth while ensuring environmental conservation, especially for small and medium-sized universities in regional cities. Moreover, the study’s framework contributes to advancing the research frontiers in environmental economics and industrial organizations.