No. of Japanese universities to decline: British academic

LONDON — Japan's higher education system faces "an implosion" due to oversupply and a falling birthrate, according to research from a British academic. Roger Goodman, a Japan expert from Oxford University, says the situation will make it increasingly difficult for the less prestigious and smaller establishments to remain operating as they currently are.

Many institutions — high estimates suggest 40%, low around 15% — will go bankrupt, merge or be taken over within the decade, according to Goodman. He writes, "The Japanese higher education system is facing a contraction, possibly better described as an implosion, of a type not previously ever seen before." Goodman believes that the crisis will lead to a growing "polarization" in higher education, with demand for places at Japan's lower-level universities declining dramatically.

http://www.japantoday.com/jp/news/429202