The (JCGA) is a university-level service academy established within the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for the purpose of training students to become Coast guard officers. It is located in Kure, Hiroshima prefecture. The cadets learn specialized knowledge on international maritime law, naval police theory, maritime traffic policy and earn a Bachelor of Science following a rigorous 4 year and 9 month curriculum unique to the Academy. Graduates of JCGA go out into the fleet as junior officers, alternatively working at land-based offices and Coast Guard vessels as they advance in their careers. Charter The purpose of the JCGA is stipulated in Article 255 of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Organization Ordinance reads as follows: Admissions Students are typically selected from recent graduates of Japanese civilian senior high schools who have completed twelve years of formal schooling. Applicants must pass the entrance examination as required for a public university, but unlike a regular university, students who enter JCGA become cadets serving in the Japan Coast Guard. The applicant must meet the requirements for becoming an officer in the Coast Guard, such as age and Japanese nationality, which differ from the requirements for general university applicants. The cost of tuition is paid by the Japanese government and cadets receive a stipend as civil servants (as of 2017, about ¥140,000 per month), as with cadets at the National Defense Academy of Japan, National Defense Medical College, and the United States Coast Guard Academy. Approximately 60 cadets are accepted by JCGA every year. The total population of the JCGA is about 220, of which 11% are female as of 2020. The National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education, an Independent Administrative Institution affiliated with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has recognised the courses and awards the graduates degrees on request. As the Academy is not an MEXT-recognised university, it cannot offer its own degrees. Academics Cadets study basic education subjects including English, maritime law, physics, and political science in the first and second years, and begin taking specialized subjects in navigation and engineering in the second half of the second year. Courses in subjects such as bridge resource management, business management, information science, international law, leadership, meteorology, oceanography, and languages such as Chinese, Korean, and Russian are offered as electives. Several domestic and international voyages are required for graduation