As director of the university division of the higher education bureau at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry, Takafumi Goda is at the helm of national policy on university education. Recently, one of his chief tasks has been to oversee long-awaited reforms to Japan's university system.
Although Goda, 48, was busy preparing fiscal 2003 budget proposals for his division, he took time to talk to The Japan Times.
Why do we need university reforms now?