Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERMENT POLICICIES IN EDUCATION, SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1994 > PART II Chapter 4 Section 1 1

The dramatic quantitative expansion of higher education in Japan is apparent from the fact that in fiscal 1994, 43.3% of students of the relevant age enrolled in universities or junior colleges. There have also been significant changes in the environment of higher education, including the increasingly sophisticated nature of scientific research, the trend toward internationalization, the shift to an information-oriented society, the shrinking of the 18-year-old population, and the growing social need for learning.

The priorities for higher education in Japan are to eliminate the factors that have attracted adverse international comparisons and other harsh criticisms and to fulfill the role of higher education in the development of superior human resources and the promotion of scholarship. The realization of these goals requires ongoing efforts to develop educational and research activities in step with the changing times in which we live.

The Ministry of Education, Science and Culture is currently implementing the greatest reform of higher education since the establishment of the present university system after World War II. These changes, which are based on reports of the University Council, include the diversification of higher education and the introduction of more flexible systems.

Given the wide availability of higher education in Japan, it is vital that universities clarify their philosophies and objectives and develop distinctive educational and research activities. It is necessary in this context to encourage the creation of a diverse range of institutions of higher education, including research-oriented universities, universities that give priority to education, and universities that emphasize the expansion of educational opportunities for adult students.

In February 1991 the University Council submitted a report concerning the simplifying and broadening of the provisions of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities and other regulations .^* On the basis of this report the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture radically streamlined the standards in June 1991. Measures included the abolition of traditional subject areas, such as general education, foreign languages, health and physical education, and specialized education, and of regulations stipulating the required number of credits in each category.

In 1988 the University Council submitted a report titled "Allowing More Flexibility to the Existing System of Graduate Schools." This was followed in 1991 by two more reports, one titled "A Review of the Existing System of Academic Degrees and the Evaluation of Graduate Schools" and the other titled "The Quantitative Improvement of Graduate Schools." In these reports the council recommended greater flexibility in the Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools, the development of education and research organizations, the improvement of conditions for graduate students, the improvement of educational systems for students from abroad, the quantitative improvement of graduate schools, and the enhancement of financial provisions.

There is a need for both quantitative and qualitative improvement of Japan's graduate schools. In view of the need to keep pace with scientific progress and meet the demands of society, priorities include development of a diverse range of graduate schools, improvement of education and research instruction, and facilitation of degree conferment.

In recent years it has become increasingly important for workers to undergo continued education at graduate schools and other institutions of higher education on a lifelong basis in order to acquire the most advanced knowledge and technology. This need reflects the rapid pace of technical innovation as well as changes in the industrial structure. Universities thus have a social responsibility to provide expanded learning opportunities for adult students. Providing expanded learning opportunities for adult students is an important task in promoting the reform of higher education through the diversification and revitalization of education and research.

Measures that the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture has implemented through revision of the Standards for the Establishment of Universities include the introduction of the special register system, which enables universities to establish subject registration systems (systems that enable the admission of students who wish to acquire credits only in specific subjects) and course registration systems (systems that allow the admission of students who wish to acquire credits for multiple subjects combined into a course). As part of its efforts to introduce greater flexibility into credit requirements for daytime students, the Ministry has also approved systems that accommodate the diverse lifestyles of students by allowing them to take courses in the evening, as well.

In September 1993 the University Council submitted a report titled "Evening Doctorate Courses and Other Evening Educational Courses." In October the same year the Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools were amended to enable the establishment of day/evening programs for doctorate courses and evening programs for doctorate courses. These changes were implemented in response to the need for adult reeducation.

It is vital that institutions of higher education revitalize and enhance their educational and research activities through ongoing self-monitoring and improvement. In its February 1991 report the University Council recommended the introduction of a system of self-monitoring and self-evaluation for this purpose. Accordingly, when revising the Standards for the Establishment of Universities the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture included provisions requiring universities and other institutions of higher education to undertake self-monitoring and self-evaluation.