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Under the education system introduced immediately after World War . Japan's higher education has achieved a dramatic development, and made great contributions to the social and economic development of the country.

The circumstances around the higher education system in Japan, however, Have been greatly changing, due to various changes in our society, including the diversification of the life styles and attitudes of the people, and the advancement of scientific research, the trends of internationalization and development toward an information oriented society in the various segments of society, and the rapid increase and decrease in the number of 18-year-olds with its peak in 1992. The demand of our society and our people for higher education has become diversified.

In this context, there is an urgent need to positively carry out reforms in higher education and explore new systems and practices of higher education.

In this report on "Japanese Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture 1990", Part I deals with "Issues and Perspectives of Higher Education." It outlines the present status and issues of higher education in Japan. as well as its brief history, and the future perspectives of higher education reform in the country.

It is scheduled that Part I of the next year's report will deal with scientific research in Japan.

Part II outlines the government policies and measures regarding educational reform and the major current policies of the Ministry of Education. Science and Culture with regard to all areas of education, science and culture.