An Analysis of Bylaws of Christian School Corporations in Japan: The Impact of Christianity on Organizational Governance

Keywords: bylaws; governance structure; Christian school corporations; university; Japan

This study investigated the effects of Christianity-related (CR) words in bylaws on governance structures in Christian school corporations (CSCs) that established higher education institutions, such as private universities, in Japan. Governance structures in religious school corporations in Japan are characterized by the specific religion. Therefore, CR words in CSCs’ bylaws are powerful clues to identify the characteristics of their governance structures. This study examined the bylaws of three Protestant Christian CSCs in Japan: Tohoku Gakuin, Kwansei Gakuin, and Seinan Gakuin. The numbers and percentages of Christian directors, councilors, and auditors were also assessed. The results indicated that (1) Tohoku Gakuin and Kwansei Gakuin do not mention any Christian denominations, whereas Seinan Gakuin does; (2) Kwansei Gakuin does not have a Christian code for directors, whereas Tohoku Gakuin and Seinan Gakuin do; (3) all CSCs have a Christian code for councilors; (4) the lowest percentage of Christians on the board of directors is 54.5% for Tohoku Gakuin, 0% for Kwansei Gakuin, and 62.5% for Seinan Gakuin; (5) the lowest percentage of Christians on the board of councilors is 52.1% for Tohoku Gakuin, 15.4% for Kwansei Gakuin, and 54.3% for Seinan Gakuin; and (6) the lowest percentage of Christians among auditors is 0% for Tohoku Gakuin, 0% for Kwansei Gakuin, and 50% for Seinan Gakuin. Moreover, Kwansei Gakuin employs a governance system that suppresses director voting by Christian councilors, whereas, Christian councilors of Tohoku Gakuin and Seinan Gakuin encourage Christian director voting. Based on the findings, directions for further research are discussed.