Japan is moving to modernise its universities and confront globalisation head on

JAPAN's universities - assailed by claims that have failed to cope with globalisation - are moving to boost their international competitiveness and appeal.

The university sector here shrugs off industry complaints that it is not generating graduates who can be deployed outside Japan.

But nevertheless big changes are happening as campuses try to boost foreign student numbers and offer more courses in English.

Although Japan boasts some world-class universities, its top performer, the University of Tokyo, has a rank of just 30 on the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.

That’s arguably too low for a country that is the world’s third-largest economy and a centre of innovation responsible for more patents per capita than any other nation.

In an interview with the HES in Tokyo, the vice president of Waseda University, Katsuichi Uchida, said criticisms from industry were not new and, to an extent, were unjustified.

“Of course we understand the importance of collaboration between universities and industries, but their way of thinking, I am sorry to say, is too narrow,’’ he said.

Professor Uchida said producing globally competitive graduates was important not just to feed the hungry maws of Japan’s trading companies, but to tackle major problems including global warming and food shortages.

Japan’s tertiary education system sees students selected by universities via entrance exams and then streamed into various undergraduate courses that are heavy on theory and collaborative practical work, but light on those activities focused on developing critical faculties.

The result, according to the system’s critics, is graduates suited to niche roles in Japanese workplaces instead of linguistically and culturally competent generalists that can expand Japan’s interests abroad in the modern world.

Although Waseda, a private university, trails Japan’s big public universities on world rankings, both it and Tokyo’s Sophia University are at the forefront of the movement towards internationalisation.

Mr Uchida said that just as in Japanese society, learning in Japan has been focused on collaboratively aiming for consensus or harmony through discussion.

“This kind of system has been unique to Japan,’’ he said. “For the last 30, 40, 50 years this kind of education system has been one key factor behind the success of Japanese corporations because, as you know, Japanese corporations emphasise the importance of a group orientated management style.’’

But times have changed for Japan as the nation realises it cannot depend on domestic demand for economic survival and must once again thrust itself out into the world.

Japanese corporations are embarking on a buying spree acquiring foreign subsidiaries throughout Asia and Australia and turning to universities to provide the staff to help run them.

While the companies complain they can’t find enough of the kind of graduates they need, the situation is better than it used to be.

The government’s Global 30 program, launched in 2008, is aimed at attracting 300,000 foreign students to Japan by encouraging 13 universities – including Tokyo, Kyoto and Waseda and Sophia – to become centres for international education.

Professor Uchida says Waseda launched its school of international studies in 2004 in anticipation of the direction things were heading and now has six faculties teaching in English.

“In that school we take 600 students – two thirds are Japanese, one third are foreign. All courses are taught in English and all these students are required to spend a year in another country to study,’’ he said.

“Nowadays this is a kind of a model for the development of undergraduate education programs at Waseda.”

He said the university was turning its focus to Chinese students and students from other parts of Asia where Japanese companies are increasingly basing many of their production facilities to capitalise on cheaper labour.

Waseda now has 4000 foreign students of which 40 per cent are Chinese and 20 per cent South Korean.

“When you are on Waseda’s campus you will hear students speaking in Chinese, Korean, English and Japanese. Through this kind of environment, Japanese students now recognise diverse cultural backgrounds and languages,’’ he said.

“The purpose for us in receiving international students is not just to educate those students, but also Japanese students.”

Tokyo University has just flagged starting a September entrance system – to be aligned with the US academic calendar - and its president has emphasised the importance of globalisation of universities in recent speeches.

Professor Uchida said the attitude was changing across the sector with universities recruiting foreign students and changing to a more global curriculum and internationally recognised teaching methods.

“We have been the forerunner, but these days the other universities recognise the importance of globalisation,” he said.

“We now understand the importance of liberal arts education to nurture critical ways of thinking. We are now developing small classes and during classes we emphasise the importance of discussion between students and faculty members.

The president of Sophia University – a Jesuit established institution that has been at the forefront of internationalised education in Japan - said industry’s complaints about the sector were not necessarily valid.

President Tadashi Takizawa said universities had to teach students broad concepts and ethics as well as their core skills, and if employers wanted strictly vocationally orientated skills they could look for staff trained in technical or language colleges.

But he also acknowledged the sector could have done more in the past to forge linkages with industry.

He said Sophia, which is a small university by Japanese standards, had more than 700 foreign students and was increasingly turning its eyes from West to East with a view to attracting students from other parts of Asia.

Foreign student numbers in Japan have almost tripled since the year 2000, with the current total standing about almost 142,000. However, that’s still small even when compared to Australia, which has more than 200,000 foreign students enrolled in higher education courses each year.

Japanese inventor and academic Shuji Nakamura – the inventor of the blue laser that integral to DVD, CD and Blu-ray players – said Japanese universities still had a huge leap to make to catch up to their US counterparts.

Professor Nakamura, who abandoned Japan in disgust over the secrecy and hierarchical structure of the company where he did his research, said Japan’s education system was geared to simply preparing pupils for the university entrance exam and little else.

The University of California professor said Japan’s students needed to be taught how to conduct presentations, construct and write papers, particularly in English, and universities needed to allow students to challenge and debate their teachers.

“In American universities, there is no strict hierarchical relationship. At our meetings we can’t even see who is the professor and who is the student,’’ he said.

“Whereas at a Japanese university, the professor is the emperor and the rest are like slaves. The atmosphere is so different.”

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/higher-education/rise-of-the-dragon/japan-is-moving-to-modernise-its-universities-and-confront-globalisation-head-on/story-fnama19w-1226175474637