The Switzerland-based Institute for Management and Development releases an annual report on the international competitiveness of major countries.

In recent years, Japan has seen its ranking drop, and in 2002 was evaluated at 30th among the 49 nations surveyed. As one of the key elements determining a nation's performance, the IMD examines how universities contribute to a country's efforts to boost its competitiveness.

The result was fairly shocking -- Japan was ranked the lowest of the 49 countries.