Abstract:

Far-reaching changes in Japan’s society continue unabated. One of the most severe problems that Japan faces are the startling demographic changes that are affecting many aspects of society. In particular, the decline of the university-age population is having a dramatic effect on the viability and realization of the mission of many colleges and universities in the country. In revisiting this topic again after seven years, the author can confirm some of his earlier predictions, but also has discovered some new elements at play that offer hope for current institutions facing a severe decline in university student applicants. Escalating intra-university competition for students, faculty, research funding, and sponsorship has already led to the demise of a number of small private universities. There is a strong view that others may suffer a similar fate or that mergers will likely occur. While there is a palpable sense of change blowing across Japanese universities, their new autonomy is greeted with a mixture of apprehension and exhilarating opportunity.

In the absence of direct government intervention, universities across Japan, especially outside the major urban areas, are struggling. Faculty pay has been frozen or cut, bonuses have been suspended, and resources trimmed to the bone. Short-term contracts for professors are increasing. Thousands of students from China and other Asian countries are being recruited to pay fees and fill empty classroom seats. Japanese colleges would benefit greatly from more mature and foreign students, but, in reality, there are too many structural barriers to allow them to make much of an impact. These barriers include a strictly limited immigration policy, housing issues and cost of living deficits, accountability and management issues, and cross-cultural communication issues, as well as the insularity of Japanese culture.

What are the challenges to achieving improvement in this crisis of higher education in Japan? Since 2000, the government has introduced a series of legislative and policy initiatives aimed at:
1) increasing institutional autonomy and management capabilities,
2) enhancing evaluation and emphasizing quality,
3) developing internationally-competitive research via centers of excellence and graduate schools and
4) improving teaching pedagogy and developing the faculty’s instructional competencies.

The presentation concludes by offering a set of steps toward a potential solution to this crisis in Japanese higher education.

These include:
1) Gradually raising tuition to a more realistic level,
2) Re-configure the mission of the university,
3) Including a multi-tiered approach to achieve multiple purposes: liberal arts, academic and professional specialties, personal and professional development for adult, working and mature students,
4) Internationalization steps with realistic and achievable measures,
5) Restructuring in order to achieve this ‘new’ mission,
6) Re-education, re-training and re-tooling of the faculty,
7) Merge, combine or collaborate with other colleges and universities.

Keywords:

Japanese higher education, revitalization, evolution of education, coping with change.