The conference paper scrutinises central authorities' response to globalisation in the context of English and Japanese universities, giving attention to relationship between central authorities, the universities, and the market. The purpose of the study is to identify the similarities and differences of changes in central authorities' policy strategies for the universities, in order to cope with changing demand in relation to globalisation. The study is not only based upon empirical research but also theoretical driven, conceptualising the common and dissimilar policies between English and Japanese central authorities.The study is significant because it explores existing literature on the universities' adoption to external and internal changes - such as Burton Clark (1998), Sheila Slaughter and Larry Leslie (1997), and Barbara Sporn (1999) - by giving attention to central authorities' policies and different relationship between central authorities and the universities. The study focuses upon differences in central administration structure - such as agency's control in England, and Ministerial control in Japan. The study addresses following research questions: Are there any similar patterns of the English and Japanese central authorities' response to globalisation? If not, why do they take different approach? Regarding theoretical framework, the study elucidates differences in agency and Ministerial control on the universities, giving attention to public and private dynamism such as changing balance between traditional public and private boundaries in higher education. The study observes two opposing trends. The one emphasises the significance of private sphere and the decline of public sphere in current trends; the examples include governments' deregulation policy, the establishment of quasi non-governmental agencies, the corporatisation of national universities, and the rise of managerialism. The other is increasing state control such as the state-induced enforcement of competition, and the increasing role of private funding.The research methods for data collection which are taken in this study are two fold: (i) documentation from government, central administration, agencies, and individual universities; and (ii) interviews to those in central administration and agencies, and vice- chancellors / university presidents in the institutions. The reason for the selection of particular methods is that documentation could bring efficiency in data collection and analysis, while interviews could provide supplemental information which cannot be available in the text of document. The interviews are based upon semi- structured, in order to avoid empirical mess by incorporating theoretical driven questions. The tentative conclusion of the study is that English and Japanese central authorities both respond to economic globalisation by adopting neo- liberal discourses and policies, strategically allocating public funding to the universities, and emphasising quality control and efficiency in institutional governance, management, and leadership. However, the effect of their respective neo-liberal policies, and the implication of those policies for university autonomy differ between the two higher education systems. These differences are partially related to contrasting historical relationships between central authorities and the universities in England and Japan in relation to agency's and Ministerial control on the universities respectively, as well as the application of different national economic policies between the two university systems. The study implies for the different meanings of university autonomy between the two university systems.Reference:Clark, Burton (1998). Creating Entrepreneurial Universities: Organizational Pathways ofTransformation. Oxford: International Association of Universities Press andPergamon.Slaughter, Sheila, and Larry Leslie (1997). Academic Capitalism: Politics, Policies, and theEntrepreneurial University, London: Johns Hopkins University Press.Sporn, Barbara (1999). Adaptive University Structures: An Analysis of Adaptation toSocioeconomic Environments of US and European Universities, London: Jessica Kingsley.