At first glance, the education ministry's recommendation to phase out humanities and social science programs makes sense. After all, the insatiable demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics graduates is undeniable. But doing so would be a grave mistake for Japan in the long run.
The rationale behind the movement is that society's needs will be better served if universities overhauled their departments. Whether that explanation alone or the fear of losing state funding for non-compliance is responsible for some 26 of the 60 national universities in Japan with humanities and social sciences programs agreeing to take "active steps" is unclear.
Certainly, the failure of any of Japan's universities to make it into the top tier of global league standings is one reason. In a country that places heavy emphasis on pride, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's goal of getting at least 10 of the nation's universities in the world's top 100 within 10 years serves as an incentive. The best that Japan could do in the latest rankings from The Times High Education was to place the University of Tokyo in 39th place and Kyoto University in 91st.