Colleges and universities in Japan and the United States face unprecedented challenges that will make them unrecognizable in the years ahead. Whether they can reconcile the demands made by students and society will determine their ultimate fate.

Japan is far more realistic than the U.S. in this regard. When the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology recommended the creation of a new type of four-year vocational university, it was evidence that the traditional way of educating students beyond high school was an anachronism.

The mission of this new university is to train more specialists in information technology, agriculture and tourism. To do so, students will be required to spend 600 hours in practical courses, such as internships. At least 40 percent of full-time faculty members will have had at least five years of practical work experience. Two-year vocational and technical colleges that convert into the new model will be eligible for government subsidies.