The November 2022 release of ChatGPT 3.0 prompted higher education institutions (HEIs) around the world to publish guidelines for faculty, students, and staff, and there is a growing research effort to characterize and analyze these documents. Early studies analyzing generative AI policy documents at the world’s highest-ranked HEIs reveal divergent approaches despite sharing common concerns, such as academic integrity, data security, integration of AI in learning and assessment, and communication with students (An et al., 2025; Moorhouse et al., 2023; Xiao et al., 2023).

The present study contributes to this growing effort to profile AI policies by focusing on HEIs in Japan. Using the dataset collected by Gallagher (2024), it applies grounded theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to analyze nearly 400 AI policies from Japanese universities to document emerging patterns. The presentation begins with a brief overview of global AI governance efforts. It then focuses on issues that particularly affect teachers and students, such as concerns about GenAI’s impact on critical thinking, creativity, autonomy, fairness, strategies in learning and assessment, and the management of academic integrity. The presentation will help language educators in navigating institutional policy on GenAI and in understanding emerging GenAI best practices to enhance teaching.