Search - universities

 
 
COMMENTARY / JAPAN IN THE GLOBAL ERA
Mar 4, 2002

'Inbred' universities dragging Japan down

LAUSANNE, Switzerland -- A former Japanese student of mine, now a member of the economics faculty of one of Tokyo's leading universities, remarked on an occasion when we were having lunch together that, "Larry Summers would not have been appointed professor in a Japanese university." Summers is quite...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 13, 2015

Japan should avoid making suicidal education mistakes

Japan's educational system will suffer greatly if political ignoramuses who know the price of everything and the value of nothing are allowed to have their way.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LABOR PAINS
Sep 24, 2014

Job insecurity among Japan's university teachers is a recipe for further decline

Increasing the number of academic working poor hired as part-time teachers flies in the face of the education ministry's call to build universities that 'can compete on the world stage.'
COMMENTARY
Jun 20, 2011

Living with national universities

In fiscal 2004, the state-run national universities in Japan were given the status of "corporations." The initial six-year "medium term" after this shift to "national university corporations" ended in fiscal 2009. The current fiscal year is the second year of the second medium term.
JAPAN / SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT
Apr 1, 2004

Private universities feel heat from company-run upstarts

Already struggling to keep student numbers up amid an ever-shrinking pool of high school graduates, private universities now face a new threat -- stock exchange-listed companies entering the fray of running institutions of higher learning.
EDITORIALS
Apr 7, 2002

Incorporation of state universities

The proposed incorporation of Japan's government-run universities aims at relaxing state regulations on matters such as budget use, personnel management and research organization, and to substantially expand the decision-making discretion of the universities. The system envisioned would be much more...
JAPAN
May 27, 2000

State universities to be independent

The Education Ministry on Friday announced its final decision to turn Japan's 99 national universities into independent administrative institutions, a move that will streamline the management of colleges and give them greater autonomy in budget and personnel matters.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Holistic education to foster an international identity

Kwansei Gakuin University, based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2039. Ahead of this milestone, the university has developed a concept for its long-term future. Called Kwansei Grand Challenge 2039 (KGC2039), its ultimate purpose is to cultivate students who will...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 25, 2019

Huawei's U.S. research arm builds separate identity as it seeks university research deals

The U.S.-based research arm of China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. — Futurewei Technologies Inc. — has moved to separate its operations from its corporate parent since the U.S. government in May put Huawei on a trade blacklist, according to two people familiar with the matter.
EDITORIALS
Oct 14, 2018

Keep probing medical schools for discrimination

nstead of using discriminatory practices to limit opportunities for women to become doctors, the work environment at medical institutions should be changed in ways that enable more women to continue to work as doctors once they marry and have children.
EDITORIALS
Jul 11, 2018

Expose what lies behind education official's bribery

Investigators should strive to shed light on the collusive ties between universities and the education ministry.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Nov 15, 2017

Tokyo campus tie-up between Temple Japan and Showa Women's University could offer model for the future

Showa Women's University and Temple University, Japan Campus have announced a unique site-sharing agreement that could offer a model to other Japanese schools.
Japan Times
JAPAN / AEC SPECIAL
Jan 29, 2016

Universities working to foster closer relationship

The ASEAN region is increasing in importance as a market for Japanese companies because its member states are getting wealthier and accelerating their development. Hence, increasing the number of students from the region studying in Japan is essential to nurture future businesspeople or politicians to...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 22, 2015

Higher education badly in need of a spending boost

The global rankings of Japanese universities will keep falling unless more money is spent to improve the quality of higher education.
JAPAN / LOOMING CHALLENGES
Jan 4, 2010

Universities must look abroad to reverse Japan's brain drain

Japan appears to be suffering from brain drain. Examples include chemist Osamu Shimomura and physicist Yoichiro Nambu, both of whom won Nobel Prizes in 2008 for research conducted in U.S. universities.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 22, 2015

Oxford lessons for Todai

An international outlook, a dedication to research and a spirit of enterprise are among the qualities that universities need to become world-leading institutions.
LIFE / Language / MORNING ENGLISH
Oct 19, 2015

Let's discuss pressure on university liberal arts education

In June the education ministry sent a directive to national universities calling on them to reorganize their humanities and social sciences departments.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 23, 2015

Humanities under attack

Moves in the halls of power to downgrade, if not outright strip, the humanities and social sciences nation's universities are both outrageous and wrongheaded.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Mar 18, 2013

Greatest hopes work for less

For the sake of Japan's future, the education ministry and others must work to raise the pay of researchers and professors at national universities.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 6, 2010

Value of universities during economic crisis

WARWICK, England — Is academic freedom affordable in a time of economic crisis? That was the topic for discussion at the annual signing of the Magna Charta Universitatum at the mother of universities, the University of Bologna, earlier this year.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

New initiatives to increase globalization of education

After a pandemic that drastically reduced the numbers of Japanese students going abroad and foreign students arriving, Japan is again on a drive to internationalize higher education. Low economic growth, a labor shortage due to the declining birthrate and lagging competitiveness in science and technology...
Japan Times
Special Supplements / Hiroshima G7 Summit Special
May 19, 2023

Programs help students tackle international issues

“Challenge your mind, Change our future.”  Ritsumeikan University adopted this motto in 2018 as part of its vision toward 2030. In a time when it is difficult to predict the future due to the COVID-19 pandemic and increasingly complex social and political issues, the university is determined to...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Feb 17, 2020

Strong liberal arts education is key to success in Society 5.0

A liberal arts education is crucial to the development of the skills required for success in Society 5.0.
EDITORIALS
Jun 30, 2015

Abe's ill-conceived university policy

The government should remember that the primary purpose of unversities is to provide students with a well-rounded education that helps them became more insightful citizens.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues
Mar 22, 2015

University teachers in Japan work under the shadow of a falling ax

For most teachers, their job is more than an economic exchange of time for money — it is a vocation. Concern for students' educational development is genuine, as is a deep belief in the value and importance of education, and a regard for the institution's reputation and welfare.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2013

High schoolers dream of Ivy League

One March afternoon in Shibuya Ward, a group of high schoolers earnestly listened as students from Harvard University described life on their campus.
COMMENTARY
Aug 17, 2010

Saving Japan's universities

The consensus says Japanese university students are lazy and apathetic. Unfavorable comparisons are made with Chinese studying here. Yet those same students at their annual autumn festivals can show an enthusiasm, professionalism and attention to detail superior to anything at a Western university, or...
JAPAN
Dec 12, 2000

Universities buy exams despite ministry warning

Nearly 20 private universities have signed contracts with the Nagoya-based Kawaijuku Educational Institution to supply them with questions for next year's entrance exams, the cram school has announced.
Japan Times
Special Supplements / G20 Osaka Summit Special
Jun 27, 2019

Developing creative solutions that benefit the international community

Our global society is grappling with a myriad of challenges — from artificial intelligence and its rapid development to the effects of climate change and aging populations — that require bold, innovative solutions. As these issues grow in urgency and complexity, it is up to universities to foster...

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone.
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan