The Tokyo Metropolitan Government plans to allow the enrollment in universities and colleges of applicants without high school diplomas, counter to central government policy, in as early as two years, metro officials said Friday.

If introduced, the system will be the first of its kind in Japan, they said.

The metro government also set a target time of four years for a planned merger of its four universities, with the view to creating an more independent entity.

The plans form part of the metropolitan university reform policies released the same day.

The introduction of the "challenge enrollment" system means people without a high school diploma or equivalent qualification can enroll for tertiary education if they prove their competency during a trial period.

"This system will allow people who aren't skilled at (the state-run entrance) examinations to get enrolled," Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara said.

The education ministry requires college applicants to be high school graduates or to have passed state-run exams for an equivalent qualification.

But metro officials said their planned rules will allow schools to admit others who are not certified, but who can prove they are as competent as high school graduates.

Meanwhile, the Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Technology, Tokyo Metropolitan University of Health Sciences and Tokyo Metropolitan College will be gradually reorganized within four years, through such means as sharing general-requirement courses, facilities and credits.

"We will reorganize the institutions from scratch," Ishihara told a regular news conference.

The plan also aims to incorporate the institutions into a partially private-funded entity, officials said.

The four institutions were allocated 17 billion yen of the metro government's general budget in fiscal 2000.