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EDITORIALS
Oct 22, 2016

Lure of defense research funds

The Defense Ministry's program to fund dual-use research opens up serious moral and ethical questions for university researchers.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Apr 22, 2015

Culture, cost and proximity draw Chinese students to Japan

Who are the Chinese students studying in Japan? How do they get into Japanese universities, why do they come, and where do they hope to go after they graduate?
EDITORIALS
Apr 11, 2015

University of Tokyo failing non-Japanese students

With enrollment of foreign students declining, the University of Tokyo needs to work on making its program for English-language coursework more attractive.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
May 6, 2013

Plan to introduce TOEFL to universities has its merits

The media and kyōiku senmonka (教育専門家, pundits on education) have been voicing the pros and cons of the idea put forward by the Jiminto (自民党, the Liberal Democratic Party) to make TOEFL (Test of English as Foreign Language) mandatory for entrance exams at all Japanese universities.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST
May 10, 2011

After the deluge, universities face foreign exodus

Like thousands of foreigners, Tony Black recently made the agonizing decision to leave Japan, wife and baby child in tow. Unlike many, he has no concrete plans to return.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 18, 2009

Demographic crisis leaves universities in financial bind

The first day of the semester should be one of the year's busiest, but it is immediately clear at St. Thomas University that something is badly wrong.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2002

Most national universities find reform plan confusing

Administrators at 81 out of 90 public universities in Japan are confused by a government plan to turn national universities into independent administrative entities in fiscal 2004, according to a recent survey by the Japan Association of National Universities.
Japan Times
LIFE
Nov 28, 2022

Beauty over brains: Japan’s skin-deep university pageants

The contests perpetuate a culture that often places women in rigid gender roles, and have seen some contestants face abuse and harassment from organizers.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Feb 2, 2022

Female students join male peers as Afghan universities reopen

The Taliban administration has not officially announced its plan for female university students, but education officials said women were permitted to attend classes — away from male student.
JAPAN
Jun 21, 2021

Workplace and university vaccinations ramp up in Japan

The government had received applications from 3,479 sites to function as vaccination venues as of Friday, with nearly 14 million people estimated to be immunized under the framework.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 19, 2020

Japan's re-entry ban threatens scholarships, admission and graduation for foreign students

Many students from developing countries heavily depend on financial aid, and it is often the only way they can pursue higher education.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 14, 2019

Fix Japan's misallocation of human resources

Medical schools at universities are becoming unprecedentedly popular among high school students seeking to advance to higher education. Many high schools' websites exhibit not only the number of graduates who have successfully entered well-known national, public and private universities, but also how...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 12, 2019

Foreign student numbers don't tell whole tale

The government's goal of strategically attracting outstanding students from abroad under its plan to accept 300,000 foreign students is far from accomplished.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 11, 2019

Must Japan's humanities go global?

There's a need for Japan humanities perspectives to be heard more by foreign audiences abroad, to have greater influence in international scholarship and the global public sphere.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
May 30, 2018

How about a study-abroad adventure in Europe?

For Japanese students, continental EU universities offer high-quality courses often at lower prices than U.S. colleges.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / LEARNING CURVE
Mar 28, 2018

Why not try Canada, eh?: For Japanese students, a university up north is worth considering

Japanese students just hoping for a cheaper college option than the U.S. by heading north may be disappointed — but there are plenty of other benefits.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 19, 2017

Japan's women's colleges grapple with shifting views on gender

It was at the end of 2015 when an all-girl junior high school affiliated with Japan Women's University received an inquiry from a mother of an elementary school student, asking if her daughter would be eligible to apply for enrollment.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 9, 2016

Recruiting foreign students to study locally

A perfect storm of demographics and economics has caused universities in both Japan and the U.S. to aggressively woo students from abroad.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 23, 2015

Rejuvenate Japan's industrial might with the humanities

Japanese manufacturers are failing to keep up with the global competition, and the narrow education their employees receive is a primary cause.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2014

Four Japanese universities slip in annual global ranking

The University of Tokyo holds onto its title as Asia's No. 1 institution of higher learning while four of its domestic contemporaries lose ground.
Reader Mail
Apr 21, 2013

Universities far from flourishing

Regarding the April 12 Kyodo brief "Japanese universities best in Asia: It would be hasty to jump to the conclusion that Japan's universities are flourishing despite the data released by the London-based Times Higher Education magazine. A reading of the original magazine article gives a little better...
EDITORIALS
Apr 16, 2013

Improving teaching at universities

The University of Tokyo seeks to improve the quality of university class instruction with a graduate course on preparing presentations and lesson plans.
JAPAN
Mar 14, 2013

Universities to boost classes in English

To accelerate the internationalization of their institutions, Kyoto University and Kyushu University look to drastically boost the number of classes taught in English and educators who are foreign nationals.
Reader Mail
Feb 7, 2013

Fair tax share for universities

As one who used to work for a private educational institution, I was interested in the Feb. 3 editorial "Entrance exam change needed." It seems that it mainly refers to "software" aspects. Let me suggest a few basic things that Japan should change.
EDITORIALS
Sep 18, 2011

Slow transparency of universities

Since April this year, universities and colleges in Japan have been required by law to disclose information about their facilities, employees and subjects taught. Even though the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has asked only for the bare minimum of information —...
EDITORIALS
Nov 16, 2009

Transparent universities

All Japanese universities may soon be required to provide students with key statistics about their employment and dropout rates and other quantifiable facts, if a new proposal is accepted by the Central Council for Education. The list of items to publicly divulge is divided into five areas the education...
Features
Jul 18, 2004

Universities put on a show

University museums have long been part of the cultural landscape in many western countries, serving not only academic communities but the general public too.
COMMENTARY
Jun 10, 2003

'Soviet-style' reforms won't improve national universities

The Upper House of the Diet is debating legislation aimed at turning national universities into "independent agencies."

Longform

Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.