Current 2006 Japan-Australia StudyLink Cup Match times (Please watch this space):
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 7pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne at the Darebin International Sports Centre
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 8 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport.
RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors.
The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
http://www.jufa-kansai.jp/about/06.07.14message.html (Japanese)
Friday, July 21, 2006
BUSINESS FRONT LINE / Broad worldview seen vital for MBA students
"If you're going to get an MBA, you had better have a global understanding. Otherwise, it's worthless...You've got to have significant knowledge about how the world works," says Clive Grafton, chair of the board of advisers at Anaheim University.
To achieve this end, many Japanese students have chosen to obtain their degrees at prestigious schools in countries such as the United States, the birthplace of the qualification. But for officials at Anaheim University, this line of thinking is a bit odd.
"The reason you're getting your MBA is to improve your career, so why would you take yourself out of the market for two or three years to improve your career? You have to start over, and sometimes the job you quit [to study abroad] is no longer available. It's a big risk," says Anaheim University Vice President Anthony Al-Jamie.
The California-based university offers an online MBA program, making it possible for students to receive the highly sought-after degree in just a year without having to go abroad or even set foot on campus.
"Online education is the fastest growing form of education in the world. It's becoming far more acceptable to traditional education, and it is just growing in leaps and bounds," says Grafton, who received his doctorate in education and master of science degree in management.
The Internet course, he continues, is a good way to achieve a global perspective as it allows students to study business in their own environment--i.e. their own country--while being encouraged to interact with other MBA candidates from around the world in a free exchange of ideas and cultural perspectives through e-mail.
In 1996, the university opened its Japanese campus, Anaheim University Akio Morita Learning Center. At about the same time the school opened, Grafton started to notice a significant change in the Japanese lifestyle. The Internet was becoming a popular communication tool, and every time he has visited Japan over the past decade he became more aware of just how rapidly communication technology was evolving.
Al-Jamie says there are many people who say, "Japanese don't want to study online, they want to study in a classroom."
"But that's changing quickly," he said.
This year, 100 people graduated from the Akio Morita School. Half of them were Japanese, with the remaining graduates mostly hailing from India and other English-speaking countries. Many of the students are already in leadership positions and are preparing to move up to more senior positions, he said.
In addition to benefiting from on-the-job experience, the two executives said, studying for an MBA online makes economic sense and provides an opportunity to acquire a global perspective.
Japanese companies used to send their employees abroad for their MBAs, which they would bring back to their firms, along with their newly acquired managerial skills, according to Al-Jamie.
This meant companies were responsible for paying tuition, living expenses, accommodation and salaries. But with years of recession bringing down the economy, it has become difficult for companies to continue the practice.
Even so, Al-Jamie says, it was not uncommon for new MBA holders to become more ambitious during their time overseas, choosing upon their return to move on to better companies or be headhunted by other firms.
"It actually costs a company out of pocket 25 million yen or 30 million yen to pay for the actual expenses. But when you [a company] get only half back, you have to double your cost. Every time you send 10 [employees]...and if only five come back, that means one person costs you 60 million yen," he said.
===
Learn the global way
The MBA qualification originated in the United States, but, according to Grafton, the knowledge gained through such programs should be applicable in any country in which an MBA candidate would choose to work.
If, for example, students opt to study in the United States, they will likely be assimilated into the American business style because they must set aside their own culture and way of thinking and attempt to learn how Americans do things--a way not always appreciated in other countries.
With Anaheim University's online class, international students can put business strategies learned in class into practice in their own environment and see how effective they are in the country where they do business, Grafton said.
He said he was surprised to see so few American cars in Tokyo.
"Some of the American automobile industries are in trouble because they lost the significant share, and they deserve it, because they did not approach the global market in an understanding way," said Grafton, saying U.S. carmakers were too confident their strategies would be effective outside the United States.
"Some people become arrogant...That is a fault of being too self-assured, of not really measuring what you're trying to accomplish," Grafton said. "A lot of MBAs...took their degree, but they did not have a global outlook."
Grafton says Japan has not being moving forward as quickly as it should have been compared to other Asian countries, such as South Korea or China. But, he says, it still controls a significant part of the market in some countries, although he added a warning that Japan should avoid the same pitfalls into which the United States blundered.
(Jul. 17, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20060717TDY08001.htm
To achieve this end, many Japanese students have chosen to obtain their degrees at prestigious schools in countries such as the United States, the birthplace of the qualification. But for officials at Anaheim University, this line of thinking is a bit odd.
"The reason you're getting your MBA is to improve your career, so why would you take yourself out of the market for two or three years to improve your career? You have to start over, and sometimes the job you quit [to study abroad] is no longer available. It's a big risk," says Anaheim University Vice President Anthony Al-Jamie.
The California-based university offers an online MBA program, making it possible for students to receive the highly sought-after degree in just a year without having to go abroad or even set foot on campus.
"Online education is the fastest growing form of education in the world. It's becoming far more acceptable to traditional education, and it is just growing in leaps and bounds," says Grafton, who received his doctorate in education and master of science degree in management.
The Internet course, he continues, is a good way to achieve a global perspective as it allows students to study business in their own environment--i.e. their own country--while being encouraged to interact with other MBA candidates from around the world in a free exchange of ideas and cultural perspectives through e-mail.
In 1996, the university opened its Japanese campus, Anaheim University Akio Morita Learning Center. At about the same time the school opened, Grafton started to notice a significant change in the Japanese lifestyle. The Internet was becoming a popular communication tool, and every time he has visited Japan over the past decade he became more aware of just how rapidly communication technology was evolving.
Al-Jamie says there are many people who say, "Japanese don't want to study online, they want to study in a classroom."
"But that's changing quickly," he said.
This year, 100 people graduated from the Akio Morita School. Half of them were Japanese, with the remaining graduates mostly hailing from India and other English-speaking countries. Many of the students are already in leadership positions and are preparing to move up to more senior positions, he said.
In addition to benefiting from on-the-job experience, the two executives said, studying for an MBA online makes economic sense and provides an opportunity to acquire a global perspective.
Japanese companies used to send their employees abroad for their MBAs, which they would bring back to their firms, along with their newly acquired managerial skills, according to Al-Jamie.
This meant companies were responsible for paying tuition, living expenses, accommodation and salaries. But with years of recession bringing down the economy, it has become difficult for companies to continue the practice.
Even so, Al-Jamie says, it was not uncommon for new MBA holders to become more ambitious during their time overseas, choosing upon their return to move on to better companies or be headhunted by other firms.
"It actually costs a company out of pocket 25 million yen or 30 million yen to pay for the actual expenses. But when you [a company] get only half back, you have to double your cost. Every time you send 10 [employees]...and if only five come back, that means one person costs you 60 million yen," he said.
===
Learn the global way
The MBA qualification originated in the United States, but, according to Grafton, the knowledge gained through such programs should be applicable in any country in which an MBA candidate would choose to work.
If, for example, students opt to study in the United States, they will likely be assimilated into the American business style because they must set aside their own culture and way of thinking and attempt to learn how Americans do things--a way not always appreciated in other countries.
With Anaheim University's online class, international students can put business strategies learned in class into practice in their own environment and see how effective they are in the country where they do business, Grafton said.
He said he was surprised to see so few American cars in Tokyo.
"Some of the American automobile industries are in trouble because they lost the significant share, and they deserve it, because they did not approach the global market in an understanding way," said Grafton, saying U.S. carmakers were too confident their strategies would be effective outside the United States.
"Some people become arrogant...That is a fault of being too self-assured, of not really measuring what you're trying to accomplish," Grafton said. "A lot of MBAs...took their degree, but they did not have a global outlook."
Grafton says Japan has not being moving forward as quickly as it should have been compared to other Asian countries, such as South Korea or China. But, he says, it still controls a significant part of the market in some countries, although he added a warning that Japan should avoid the same pitfalls into which the United States blundered.
(Jul. 17, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/business/20060717TDY08001.htm
Britain to get new Japanese studies center in September
Efforts by Japan experts in Britain to boost Japanese studies in the country will bear fruit this September with the opening of the National Institute of Japanese Studies in the new White Rose East Asia Center.
"The subject is strategically important for our country," Glenn Hook, a professor at the University of Sheffield's School of East Asian Studies, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo. "We've often lost good students who decided to go overseas for postgraduate programs."
NIJS is part of WREAC together with the National Institute of Chinese Studies. The center will get £4 million from the government over the next five years. After it opens in September, WREAC will be managed jointly by the University of Sheffield and the University of Leeds.
Hook, who is the author of several books, including "Militarization and Demilitarization in Contemporary Japan," played a key role in getting the government funding to establish the institute.
The professor first became interested in Japan when studying the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their effects on international politics. He later studied at Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Chuo University.
He said Japanese studies in the U.K. have changed in recent years. Japanese studies reached their peak in popularity in Britain in the mid-1980s, with the robust economy in Japan leading Japanese companies to give money to academic institutions.
Japanese pop culture, including animation and video games, has lead to an interest in more traditional culture as well.
The University of Sheffield has 50 British students registered for its undergraduate Japanese studies course every year. However, at the postgraduate level, the majority of students are from overseas.
"What has tended to happen is that students finish their B.A. and go straight to the business world, because there wasn't enough funding to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D.," Hook said.
As money from Japanese companies has dried up, many universities began shutting down their East Asian studies departments, saying they were not cost efficient. Most recently, Durham University decided to close its department in 2007.
The £4 million for WREAC is a part of a £25 million British government-initiative to fund regional studies. The money is from the Higher Education Funding Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Scottish Funding Council.
The £25 million program is the the first time the British government has awarded academic funding through open competition.
Thirteen proposals from university groups were shortlisted for a final interview, and five groups were awarded the government funding in the end.
The initiative will also fund the British Interuniversity China Center, the University of Edinburgh's center of research for Arabic-speaking countries, University College London's center for East European and former Soviet Union language-based area studies, and a research center focused on Eastern Europe at the University of Glasgow.
Speaking about how the government gave combined funding to NICS and the British Interuniversity China Center, Hook said that while China has grown in importance, Japanese studies have not lost their significance.
"Japan is still the second-largest economy in the world and an extremely important partner to the U.K.," Hook said, noting the two nations share similar views. "People should recognize the continuing importance of Japan in the world.
"We were very keen to have a strong governance structure involving international advisory boards, and also include representatives of the community," Hook said of the funding proposal for NIJS. He also said the University of Sheffield, founded in the early 1960s, had the advantage of having "trained Ph.D. students for many years."
About four new students will be welcomed annually to WREAC. Applicants, restricted to European Union citizens, must have expertise in their areas of study as well applicable language abilities.
Participants in the program will be able to take advantage of the center's links with more than 30 universities in China and Japan, including the University of Tokyo.
"We've always lacked the ability to enable the students to continue their studies, but the new funding will be a great opportunity," Hook said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060715f1.html
"The subject is strategically important for our country," Glenn Hook, a professor at the University of Sheffield's School of East Asian Studies, said in a recent interview with The Japan Times in Tokyo. "We've often lost good students who decided to go overseas for postgraduate programs."
NIJS is part of WREAC together with the National Institute of Chinese Studies. The center will get £4 million from the government over the next five years. After it opens in September, WREAC will be managed jointly by the University of Sheffield and the University of Leeds.
Hook, who is the author of several books, including "Militarization and Demilitarization in Contemporary Japan," played a key role in getting the government funding to establish the institute.
The professor first became interested in Japan when studying the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and their effects on international politics. He later studied at Osaka University of Foreign Studies and Chuo University.
He said Japanese studies in the U.K. have changed in recent years. Japanese studies reached their peak in popularity in Britain in the mid-1980s, with the robust economy in Japan leading Japanese companies to give money to academic institutions.
Japanese pop culture, including animation and video games, has lead to an interest in more traditional culture as well.
The University of Sheffield has 50 British students registered for its undergraduate Japanese studies course every year. However, at the postgraduate level, the majority of students are from overseas.
"What has tended to happen is that students finish their B.A. and go straight to the business world, because there wasn't enough funding to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D.," Hook said.
As money from Japanese companies has dried up, many universities began shutting down their East Asian studies departments, saying they were not cost efficient. Most recently, Durham University decided to close its department in 2007.
The £4 million for WREAC is a part of a £25 million British government-initiative to fund regional studies. The money is from the Higher Education Funding Council, the Economic and Social Research Council, the Arts and Humanities Research Council, and the Scottish Funding Council.
The £25 million program is the the first time the British government has awarded academic funding through open competition.
Thirteen proposals from university groups were shortlisted for a final interview, and five groups were awarded the government funding in the end.
The initiative will also fund the British Interuniversity China Center, the University of Edinburgh's center of research for Arabic-speaking countries, University College London's center for East European and former Soviet Union language-based area studies, and a research center focused on Eastern Europe at the University of Glasgow.
Speaking about how the government gave combined funding to NICS and the British Interuniversity China Center, Hook said that while China has grown in importance, Japanese studies have not lost their significance.
"Japan is still the second-largest economy in the world and an extremely important partner to the U.K.," Hook said, noting the two nations share similar views. "People should recognize the continuing importance of Japan in the world.
"We were very keen to have a strong governance structure involving international advisory boards, and also include representatives of the community," Hook said of the funding proposal for NIJS. He also said the University of Sheffield, founded in the early 1960s, had the advantage of having "trained Ph.D. students for many years."
About four new students will be welcomed annually to WREAC. Applicants, restricted to European Union citizens, must have expertise in their areas of study as well applicable language abilities.
Participants in the program will be able to take advantage of the center's links with more than 30 universities in China and Japan, including the University of Tokyo.
"We've always lacked the ability to enable the students to continue their studies, but the new funding will be a great opportunity," Hook said.
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060715f1.html
Private universities tie up with high schools
Private universities are scrambling to form tie-ups with junior and senior high schools to secure future students--and survival--amid the falling birthrate, school officials said.
Some universities are tying up with schools other than their affiliates, including public schools, to make up for the shrinking enrollment, they said.
Under certain conditions, private universities will grant admission to students from affiliated schools without having them take admission exams, giving the students an easier route to a college education, the officials said.
Chuo University High School, a private school affiliated with Chuo University, and adjacent Daisan (No. 3) Junior High School, a public school run by Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, are working out a tie-up contract.
Under the plan, which would mark the first such contract between private and public schools, at least 10 or more students at the Daisan Junior High School can enroll at Chuo University High School without taking the entrance examination. The new system is expected to start from the 2009 school year.
Since almost all students at the private high school who meet the necessary conditions can enroll at Chuo University, the new system will give qualified students at Daisan Junior High School entry into Chuo University without any admission exams.
The junior high school has 95 students.
The tie-ups are more common in the Kansai region.
Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, formed an affiliation with three junior and senior high schools in January.
Those secondary schools in the 2007 academic year will introduce classes designed for enrollment at the university. The students who pass those classes will, in principle, be allowed to attend the university.
Similar deals were struck with several other junior and senior high schools.
Kyoto Sangyo University reached agreement in March to make Kyoto Seian Junior and Senior High schools its affiliates starting next April.(IHT/Asahi: July 13,2006
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200607130149.html
Some universities are tying up with schools other than their affiliates, including public schools, to make up for the shrinking enrollment, they said.
Under certain conditions, private universities will grant admission to students from affiliated schools without having them take admission exams, giving the students an easier route to a college education, the officials said.
Chuo University High School, a private school affiliated with Chuo University, and adjacent Daisan (No. 3) Junior High School, a public school run by Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, are working out a tie-up contract.
Under the plan, which would mark the first such contract between private and public schools, at least 10 or more students at the Daisan Junior High School can enroll at Chuo University High School without taking the entrance examination. The new system is expected to start from the 2009 school year.
Since almost all students at the private high school who meet the necessary conditions can enroll at Chuo University, the new system will give qualified students at Daisan Junior High School entry into Chuo University without any admission exams.
The junior high school has 95 students.
The tie-ups are more common in the Kansai region.
Kwansei Gakuin University, a private university based in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, formed an affiliation with three junior and senior high schools in January.
Those secondary schools in the 2007 academic year will introduce classes designed for enrollment at the university. The students who pass those classes will, in principle, be allowed to attend the university.
Similar deals were struck with several other junior and senior high schools.
Kyoto Sangyo University reached agreement in March to make Kyoto Seian Junior and Senior High schools its affiliates starting next April.(IHT/Asahi: July 13,2006
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200607130149.html
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
2006 Japan-Australia StudyLink Cup match times
Current 2006 Japan-Australia StudyLink Cup Match times (Please watch this space):
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 4pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne - location to be confirmed
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 7 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport. RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors. The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
8/9 3pm Game 1 vs. RMIT Redbacks at Bob Jane Stadium
8/10 4pm Game 2 vs. University of Melbourne - location to be confirmed
8/11 7pm Game 3 vs. Victoria Institute of Sport at the Darebin International Sports Centre.
Please send any questions to joshua.flannery@studylink.com
StudyLink scores a goal for cultural exchange
As World Cup fever takes hold, Japanese and Australian university students are preparing to go head to head on the soccer pitch to mark the Year of Exchange between the two countries. The StudyLink Cup will see a team of 23 Japanese university students, selected and sponsored by the Kansai Student Soccer Federation, fly to Melbourne for a soccer tour of several Australian universities. The event is to also celebrate the Osaka-Melbourne sister city relationship - the Kansai team players being based in and around Osaka city.
International student recruitment firm StudyLink organised the inaugural tournament to promote sport, language and cultural exchange. StudyLink CEO Jason Howard said: “We’re committed to bringing students together and promoting understanding through education. What better way to initiate this than through sport?”
The RMIT University will host the Japanese team during its August 7 to 12 stay. While in Melbourne the team will play the RMIT Redbacks, the University of Melbourne team, and the budding national team-members of the Victorian Institute of Sport. RMIT will provide accommodation for the visitors and, with 200 of the university’s students learning Japanese, there will be no shortage of people to host, guide and socialise with the team. The school has also invited the team into their language class to enjoy a discussion about soccer and the World Cup.
Melbourne City International has organised a lunch at the Melbourne Town Hall on August 10 where the Japanese players and others involved in the StudyLink Cup will be met by the city’s councillors. The StudyLink Cup has been endorsed by the 2006 Japan-Australia Year of Exchange Committee and its participants will by vying for a prize sponsored by the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University.
Japan offers scholarships to Indian students
Japan offers scholarships to Indian students
Mumbai, July 1 (UNI)
The Government of Japan is offering scholarships to Indian students for the academic year 2007 under the Japanese Government (Mombukagakusho:MEXT) scholarship programme.
Indian students, who wish to study in Japanese universities as undergraduate students, technology students or professional training college students, can avail the programme, a press release issued by the office of the Consulate General of Japan here said.
The scholarships for engineering students are for a period of four years, whereas professional training college students in the field of civil, electrical and electronics engineering including architecture, telecommunication, nutrition, infant education, secretarial studies, hotel management, tourism, fashion, dressmaking, design, and photography is for three years.
The candidates should be between 17-21 years of age as on April 1, 2007 and must have completed a 12-year course of school education with a minimum of 65 per cent marks in aggregate.
Applicants should also be willing to learn the Japanese language and to receive university education in it, the release said.The scholarship will be 134,000 yen per month, which is subject to change. The last date for applying is July 14, 2006. Further information can be accessed on www.in.emb-japan.go.jp.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG3_sub.asp?ccode=ENG3&newscode=142798
Mumbai, July 1 (UNI)
The Government of Japan is offering scholarships to Indian students for the academic year 2007 under the Japanese Government (Mombukagakusho:MEXT) scholarship programme.
Indian students, who wish to study in Japanese universities as undergraduate students, technology students or professional training college students, can avail the programme, a press release issued by the office of the Consulate General of Japan here said.
The scholarships for engineering students are for a period of four years, whereas professional training college students in the field of civil, electrical and electronics engineering including architecture, telecommunication, nutrition, infant education, secretarial studies, hotel management, tourism, fashion, dressmaking, design, and photography is for three years.
The candidates should be between 17-21 years of age as on April 1, 2007 and must have completed a 12-year course of school education with a minimum of 65 per cent marks in aggregate.
Applicants should also be willing to learn the Japanese language and to receive university education in it, the release said.The scholarship will be 134,000 yen per month, which is subject to change. The last date for applying is July 14, 2006. Further information can be accessed on www.in.emb-japan.go.jp.
http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG3_sub.asp?ccode=ENG3&newscode=142798
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Breakfast--a great way to start the college day
Several universities and the cooperatives that run their dining halls are experimenting with methods to get their students to eat breakfast, such as a "mileage point" system or free breakfast campaigns.
Such ideas are working rather well for the students--not only in making the morning meal a habit, but also in expanding their circle of friends.
Beginning this academic year, the cooperative at Miyagi University of Education in Sendai started a breakfast promotion program called "breakfast marathon."
Under the program, students can collect one point by buying breakfast at the cafeteria run by the cooperative. With five points, they receive a small side dish normally priced at 60 yen. With 10 points, they receive a side of rice and miso soup, and 15 points gets them a 400 yen meal.
Furthermore, the cooperative ran a campaign through late May, in which students were awarded double points when they ate breakfast at the cafeteria in a group of two or more.
University junior Naoki Takahashi collected 15 points in April alone. During the month, he had breakfast at the cafeteria 10 times, five of which were each with a different friend.
"I live on my own, so it's nice to eat with my friends," Takahashi, 21, said. "The points turn into meals, so I can save my living expenses, too."
The cooperative began serving breakfast at the refectory in April 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At first, however, only about 10 people came each day.
"So we thought we needed a system that would make it fun and advantageous to have breakfast at the dining hall," Takao Tamura, a senior cooperative executive, said.
Since beginning the "breakfast marathon," the number of students eating breakfast in the school's dining hall has jumped fivefold.
At Hakuoh University in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, students have been receiving breakfast for free at the student refectory during part of April for the past six years. The idea is to get students to eat regularly and have a more stable lifestyle. Between April 11 and April 28 this year, about 500 students took advantage of the free breakfast each day.
And at Tottori University, freshmen can have free breakfast for several days immediately after matriculating into the university. This year, they received the gratis meal from April 10 to April 14. Other students and faculty members participated in the program as counselors to offer advice to the freshmen about student life.
According to a survey on students conducted every year by the federation of university cooperatives in Tokyo, 61 percent of students living away from their parents said they do not eat breakfast. Many students also are not getting a balanced diet.
And according to a first-of-its-kind survey in 2005 by the Consumer Cooperative Institute of Japan in Tokyo of about 7,000 students, the number of students claiming they become tired easily was in correlation with the number of students who said they do not regularly eat breakfast. Only about 20 percent of students said they enjoy having breakfast, presumably because they tend to have breakfast alone.
"Even if you are aware and informed about how to protect your health, most of the time you can't do so because it takes money and time," said Ichiro Nishimura, who was in charge of the survey. "It's important to support universities and university cooperatives so that students can have a lively campus life."
(Jun. 19, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060619TDY03001.htm
Such ideas are working rather well for the students--not only in making the morning meal a habit, but also in expanding their circle of friends.
Beginning this academic year, the cooperative at Miyagi University of Education in Sendai started a breakfast promotion program called "breakfast marathon."
Under the program, students can collect one point by buying breakfast at the cafeteria run by the cooperative. With five points, they receive a small side dish normally priced at 60 yen. With 10 points, they receive a side of rice and miso soup, and 15 points gets them a 400 yen meal.
Furthermore, the cooperative ran a campaign through late May, in which students were awarded double points when they ate breakfast at the cafeteria in a group of two or more.
University junior Naoki Takahashi collected 15 points in April alone. During the month, he had breakfast at the cafeteria 10 times, five of which were each with a different friend.
"I live on my own, so it's nice to eat with my friends," Takahashi, 21, said. "The points turn into meals, so I can save my living expenses, too."
The cooperative began serving breakfast at the refectory in April 2005, from 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. At first, however, only about 10 people came each day.
"So we thought we needed a system that would make it fun and advantageous to have breakfast at the dining hall," Takao Tamura, a senior cooperative executive, said.
Since beginning the "breakfast marathon," the number of students eating breakfast in the school's dining hall has jumped fivefold.
At Hakuoh University in Oyama, Tochigi Prefecture, students have been receiving breakfast for free at the student refectory during part of April for the past six years. The idea is to get students to eat regularly and have a more stable lifestyle. Between April 11 and April 28 this year, about 500 students took advantage of the free breakfast each day.
And at Tottori University, freshmen can have free breakfast for several days immediately after matriculating into the university. This year, they received the gratis meal from April 10 to April 14. Other students and faculty members participated in the program as counselors to offer advice to the freshmen about student life.
According to a survey on students conducted every year by the federation of university cooperatives in Tokyo, 61 percent of students living away from their parents said they do not eat breakfast. Many students also are not getting a balanced diet.
And according to a first-of-its-kind survey in 2005 by the Consumer Cooperative Institute of Japan in Tokyo of about 7,000 students, the number of students claiming they become tired easily was in correlation with the number of students who said they do not regularly eat breakfast. Only about 20 percent of students said they enjoy having breakfast, presumably because they tend to have breakfast alone.
"Even if you are aware and informed about how to protect your health, most of the time you can't do so because it takes money and time," said Ichiro Nishimura, who was in charge of the survey. "It's important to support universities and university cooperatives so that students can have a lively campus life."
(Jun. 19, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060619TDY03001.htm
New farm skills training course a flop with NEETs
It seems the promise of important job skills and fresh country air are not enough to lure the nation's growing NEET and "freeter" population into action.
In fact, only six people have applied to take part in a farm skills training program recently set up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The program offers three separate farm training courses for NEETs, or people not in education, employment or training, and freeters, young people who hop from one part-time job to another.
The idea was to have participants take up farm internships while studying management and agricultural production engineering for up to six months, thereby solving the NEET dilemma and at the same time boosting the dwindling rural workforce.
Ministry officials calculated 120 people a year would take part in the "Challenge! Farm School" program annually.
The three- to six- month courses slated to have started at separate locations in Ibaraki and Nagano prefectures in April. Officials are now scrambling to make up numbers.
As well as sending brochures to unemployment offices nationwide, they are also offering the course to prospective workers on a trial basis for one to six days.
According to a number of nonprofit organizations that work with young people, the high price tag of the courses, as well as the length, is most likely where the ministry went wrong.
The six-month program costs about 570,000 yen.(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200606120105.html
In fact, only six people have applied to take part in a farm skills training program recently set up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The program offers three separate farm training courses for NEETs, or people not in education, employment or training, and freeters, young people who hop from one part-time job to another.
The idea was to have participants take up farm internships while studying management and agricultural production engineering for up to six months, thereby solving the NEET dilemma and at the same time boosting the dwindling rural workforce.
Ministry officials calculated 120 people a year would take part in the "Challenge! Farm School" program annually.
The three- to six- month courses slated to have started at separate locations in Ibaraki and Nagano prefectures in April. Officials are now scrambling to make up numbers.
As well as sending brochures to unemployment offices nationwide, they are also offering the course to prospective workers on a trial basis for one to six days.
According to a number of nonprofit organizations that work with young people, the high price tag of the courses, as well as the length, is most likely where the ministry went wrong.
The six-month program costs about 570,000 yen.(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200606120105.html
Friday, June 16, 2006
Minato Ward, Temple to foster intl awareness
Minato Ward, Tokyo, and Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ), have concluded a basic agreement to collaborate in a series of projects to foster international understanding and cross-cultural communication.
Since its opening in 1982 as a full-scale branch campus of the Pennsylvania state university, TUJ has been based in Minato Ward.
During a signing ceremony held at the end of last month at TUJ, Minato Ward Mayor Masaaki Takei said his ward had formed a partnership with the institution to offer better services as "one of the nation's richest municipalities in terms of internationalism." The ward has many foreign residents from various countries as there are numerous foreign embassies and international firms located there.
Under the agreement, the two sides will offer their knowledge, services and resources to each other in the fields of education, culture and community development.
For example, TUJ will offer two programs to local public schools during its summer vacation--a seminar on English teaching for teachers as well as a summer program for middle school students. TUJ will also dispatch its students and instructors to primary and middle schools as assistants for classes on cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, the Japan campus will offer some academic services to local residents and ward officials. These will include classes in English and Japanese, such as a training program for ward officials to brush up their English skills. They will also be able to take courses at TUJ at discounted rates.
At the same time, the Minato Ward office will allow those studying and working at TUJ to use the ward's sports facilities at discounted rates, as the campus does not have such facilities of its own.
The two sides have also agreed to make their libraries available to each other, while also dispatching students or ward officials and teachers to each other as interns or trainees for the purpose of human resource development.
"We hope to provide opportunities for those who live and work in Minato [Ward] to acquire the communication skills necessary to be truly global citizens," said TUJ Dean Kirk Patterson.
(Jun. 9, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20060609TDY20001.htm
Since its opening in 1982 as a full-scale branch campus of the Pennsylvania state university, TUJ has been based in Minato Ward.
During a signing ceremony held at the end of last month at TUJ, Minato Ward Mayor Masaaki Takei said his ward had formed a partnership with the institution to offer better services as "one of the nation's richest municipalities in terms of internationalism." The ward has many foreign residents from various countries as there are numerous foreign embassies and international firms located there.
Under the agreement, the two sides will offer their knowledge, services and resources to each other in the fields of education, culture and community development.
For example, TUJ will offer two programs to local public schools during its summer vacation--a seminar on English teaching for teachers as well as a summer program for middle school students. TUJ will also dispatch its students and instructors to primary and middle schools as assistants for classes on cross-cultural communication.
Moreover, the Japan campus will offer some academic services to local residents and ward officials. These will include classes in English and Japanese, such as a training program for ward officials to brush up their English skills. They will also be able to take courses at TUJ at discounted rates.
At the same time, the Minato Ward office will allow those studying and working at TUJ to use the ward's sports facilities at discounted rates, as the campus does not have such facilities of its own.
The two sides have also agreed to make their libraries available to each other, while also dispatching students or ward officials and teachers to each other as interns or trainees for the purpose of human resource development.
"We hope to provide opportunities for those who live and work in Minato [Ward] to acquire the communication skills necessary to be truly global citizens," said TUJ Dean Kirk Patterson.
(Jun. 9, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/features/language/20060609TDY20001.htm
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Toyota International Teacher Program Sends US Teachers to Japan
40 Educational Ambassadors Participate in Study Tour
TORRANCE, Calif., June 1 -- 40 U.S. teachers, chosen as educational ambassadors through the Toyota International Teacher Program (TITP), will spend two rigorous weeks this June traveling through rural and urban Japan from Tokyo to northern Kyushu. Now in its 8th year, the program sends teachers on a study tour to learn about Japan's past and present, explore global issues and experience this significant culture firsthand. This unique experience has distinguished the TITP program as one of the preeminent teacher study-abroad programs in the country for American teachers.
Since its inception, TITP has attracted interest from more than 4,000 teachers who have submitted applications. This year, the delegation of teachers represent 10 US states -- Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee. They will bring their unique perspectives to those they meet in Japan and upon their return to the U.S. share insights from their Japan experience with their students.
"In many ways, teachers are catalysts in the global community and are in a unique position to educate students on the world in which we live," said Michael Rouse, corporate manager, philanthropy and community affairs, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "We are proud to provide teachers with a first-hand experience that helps enhance their curriculum through international study."
Funded through an annual $825,000 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the program is the only one of its kind sponsored by a major U.S. corporation. To date, a total of 360 teachers from all over the U.S. have participated in the 8 year-old program. This year's trip to Japan will take place June 23 through July 5.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C., the nation's most experienced non-profit educational exchange organization, administers the program. "The Toyota International Teacher Program provides teachers with experiences and tools they can use to enable their students to think and act on a cooperative and global basis," said IIE President and CEO Dr. Allan E. Goodman.
The study tour to Japan is the first of three professional development programs for teachers that Toyota will sponsor in the next year. The next study tour will be to the Galapagos Islands this October. The selection process for this program is currently underway, including applications from many bilingual educators. In March 2007, another international professional development opportunity will be offered in Costa Rica. TITP is proud that these three distinct study-abroad programs will enable U.S. teachers to enhance their curricula through meaningful interaction with a variety of people, cultures and environments.
TITP in Japan focuses on four themes -- history, education, environment, and technology -- and how these affect industry and society. Program activities include visits to elementary, secondary and university level schools, factories, and sites of historical and environmental importance and will be highlighted by discussions with well-known authors, historians, educators and business leaders.
The 40 educators traveling to Japan this summer teach a variety of subjects and were selected based on their professional and leadership qualifications, as well as their plans to incorporate their experiences and research into their curriculum. To be eligible teachers must be a U.S. citizen, employed full-time as a secondary classroom teacher (grades 9-12), and have a minimum of three years teaching experience.
Japan TITP program alumni Daniel Bryant and Cindy Hasselbring, will return to Japan as "Traveling Alumni" to help mentor members of the new group, as well as extend their own previous TITP experience.
TITP demonstrates the company's long-standing commitment to supporting education. In 2005, Toyota USA contributed nearly $41 million to U.S. philanthropic programs, with a majority of funding supporting education. Besides donating to a wide range of educational organizations, Toyota has created its own innovative programs, including grants for science teachers, scholarships for students, technical training and family literacy programs.
Founded in 1957, TMS is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,415 dealers in 49 states.
About Toyota's Education Programs
In addition to sponsoring a number of nonprofit educational organizations, Toyota offers three major programs that support teachers with grants and students with scholarships; Toyota TAPESTRY, the largest K-12 science teacher grant program of its kind in the U.S.; Toyota Community Scholars, which provides 100 scholarships to high school seniors based on academics and community service; and the Toyota International Teacher Program. Toyota also supports scholarships through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; United Negro College Fund; Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation; National FFA; and the American Indian College Fund.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/06/01/009317.html
TORRANCE, Calif., June 1 -- 40 U.S. teachers, chosen as educational ambassadors through the Toyota International Teacher Program (TITP), will spend two rigorous weeks this June traveling through rural and urban Japan from Tokyo to northern Kyushu. Now in its 8th year, the program sends teachers on a study tour to learn about Japan's past and present, explore global issues and experience this significant culture firsthand. This unique experience has distinguished the TITP program as one of the preeminent teacher study-abroad programs in the country for American teachers.
Since its inception, TITP has attracted interest from more than 4,000 teachers who have submitted applications. This year, the delegation of teachers represent 10 US states -- Colorado, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Tennessee. They will bring their unique perspectives to those they meet in Japan and upon their return to the U.S. share insights from their Japan experience with their students.
"In many ways, teachers are catalysts in the global community and are in a unique position to educate students on the world in which we live," said Michael Rouse, corporate manager, philanthropy and community affairs, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "We are proud to provide teachers with a first-hand experience that helps enhance their curriculum through international study."
Funded through an annual $825,000 grant from Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., the program is the only one of its kind sponsored by a major U.S. corporation. To date, a total of 360 teachers from all over the U.S. have participated in the 8 year-old program. This year's trip to Japan will take place June 23 through July 5.
The Institute of International Education (IIE) in Washington, D.C., the nation's most experienced non-profit educational exchange organization, administers the program. "The Toyota International Teacher Program provides teachers with experiences and tools they can use to enable their students to think and act on a cooperative and global basis," said IIE President and CEO Dr. Allan E. Goodman.
The study tour to Japan is the first of three professional development programs for teachers that Toyota will sponsor in the next year. The next study tour will be to the Galapagos Islands this October. The selection process for this program is currently underway, including applications from many bilingual educators. In March 2007, another international professional development opportunity will be offered in Costa Rica. TITP is proud that these three distinct study-abroad programs will enable U.S. teachers to enhance their curricula through meaningful interaction with a variety of people, cultures and environments.
TITP in Japan focuses on four themes -- history, education, environment, and technology -- and how these affect industry and society. Program activities include visits to elementary, secondary and university level schools, factories, and sites of historical and environmental importance and will be highlighted by discussions with well-known authors, historians, educators and business leaders.
The 40 educators traveling to Japan this summer teach a variety of subjects and were selected based on their professional and leadership qualifications, as well as their plans to incorporate their experiences and research into their curriculum. To be eligible teachers must be a U.S. citizen, employed full-time as a secondary classroom teacher (grades 9-12), and have a minimum of three years teaching experience.
Japan TITP program alumni Daniel Bryant and Cindy Hasselbring, will return to Japan as "Traveling Alumni" to help mentor members of the new group, as well as extend their own previous TITP experience.
TITP demonstrates the company's long-standing commitment to supporting education. In 2005, Toyota USA contributed nearly $41 million to U.S. philanthropic programs, with a majority of funding supporting education. Besides donating to a wide range of educational organizations, Toyota has created its own innovative programs, including grants for science teachers, scholarships for students, technical training and family literacy programs.
Founded in 1957, TMS is the sales, marketing, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion in the United States, marketing products and services through a network of 1,415 dealers in 49 states.
About Toyota's Education Programs
In addition to sponsoring a number of nonprofit educational organizations, Toyota offers three major programs that support teachers with grants and students with scholarships; Toyota TAPESTRY, the largest K-12 science teacher grant program of its kind in the U.S.; Toyota Community Scholars, which provides 100 scholarships to high school seniors based on academics and community service; and the Toyota International Teacher Program. Toyota also supports scholarships through the Hispanic Scholarship Fund; United Negro College Fund; Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation; National FFA; and the American Indian College Fund.
http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/06/01/009317.html
Monday, May 22, 2006
National tour guide exam to be held overseas
The Construction and Transport Ministry is to hold a tour guide license examination overseas for the first time.
The first-stage written examination for the multilingual national tour guide license will be held in China, Taiwan and South Korea in early September at the same time as the test is taken in Japan.
The examination will be held in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei. The second-stage oral test will be held only in Japan.
In 2004, of the foreign tourists who visited Japan, 32.5 percent were from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. South Korean holidaymakers accounted for 25.9 percent of tourists.
However, only 9.2 percent of certified tour guides are licensed in Chinese and a mere 4.5 percent in Korean, forcing the government to train more qualified Chinese- and Korean-speaking guides.
(May. 22, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060522TDY02010.htm
The first-stage written examination for the multilingual national tour guide license will be held in China, Taiwan and South Korea in early September at the same time as the test is taken in Japan.
The examination will be held in Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul and Taipei. The second-stage oral test will be held only in Japan.
In 2004, of the foreign tourists who visited Japan, 32.5 percent were from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. South Korean holidaymakers accounted for 25.9 percent of tourists.
However, only 9.2 percent of certified tour guides are licensed in Chinese and a mere 4.5 percent in Korean, forcing the government to train more qualified Chinese- and Korean-speaking guides.
(May. 22, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060522TDY02010.htm
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
France to set up French-language high school in Tokyo
France plans to set up high schools in Tokyo and other major cities abroad to conduct lessons in French, Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Monday.
In the first round of the plan, France will also establish such schools in Munich, London and Cairo, Douste-Blazy said at a press conference.
Through cooperation with private organizations, the government hopes to spread French culture overseas and nurture elite people with a good command of French.
The government also plans to establish around the world organizations for introducing French culture and liaison offices for accepting applications from foreign students who want to receive advanced education in France, Douste-Blazy said. (Jiji Press)
May 16, 2006
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/europe/news/20060516p2g00m0in007000c.html
In the first round of the plan, France will also establish such schools in Munich, London and Cairo, Douste-Blazy said at a press conference.
Through cooperation with private organizations, the government hopes to spread French culture overseas and nurture elite people with a good command of French.
The government also plans to establish around the world organizations for introducing French culture and liaison offices for accepting applications from foreign students who want to receive advanced education in France, Douste-Blazy said. (Jiji Press)
May 16, 2006
http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/europe/news/20060516p2g00m0in007000c.html
Monday, May 15, 2006
Govt panel identifies 12 skills needed in society
A government panel has identified the abilities required to be a good citizen and worker, to help students prepare for job-hunting and provide a common view among students and firms as to what the most important abilities are.
The panel, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, was set up to promote the diversification of job opportunities. It compiled a list of 12 fundamental abilities every citizen should have, which include: independence; planning skills; listening skills; respect for social rules; flexibility; creativity; analytical skills; people skills; expressive skills; coping with stress, and being goal-oriented.
The formalization of abilities needed at the workplace and within local communities is expected to help students find a job and assist them to acquire necessary job skills.
The categorization is expected to help companies and students agree on what abilities can be expected beyond those directly related to occupation or educational background, when companies recruit or students apply for a job.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060515TDY03003.htm
The panel, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, was set up to promote the diversification of job opportunities. It compiled a list of 12 fundamental abilities every citizen should have, which include: independence; planning skills; listening skills; respect for social rules; flexibility; creativity; analytical skills; people skills; expressive skills; coping with stress, and being goal-oriented.
The formalization of abilities needed at the workplace and within local communities is expected to help students find a job and assist them to acquire necessary job skills.
The categorization is expected to help companies and students agree on what abilities can be expected beyond those directly related to occupation or educational background, when companies recruit or students apply for a job.
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060515TDY03003.htm
Thursday, May 11, 2006
Oxford Univ. considering setting up Japanese branch school
Oxford University is considering setting up a branch school in Japan in cooperation with Japanese trading house Mitsui & Co., sources familiar with the matter said Wednesday.
The specifics of the plan, such as the timing and how the new school's capital will be financed, have not yet been decided, the sources said.
In June 2004, the British university and the trading house agreed to jointly engage in some forms of new business related to high technology in such fields as biotechnology and information technology.
The two parties have since tried to realize the project, with a wholly owned subsidiary of the university holding talks with multiple Japanese companies on relevant technological research and development, they added.
In a written statement sent to Kyodo News in London, Oxford University said, "Oxford University enjoys a cooperative and collaborative relationship with Mitsui on a number of fronts, and that relationship is expanding. However, there are no plans to develop an Oxford University campus in Japan at this time."
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060510/kyodo/d8hh1qvg2.html
The specifics of the plan, such as the timing and how the new school's capital will be financed, have not yet been decided, the sources said.
In June 2004, the British university and the trading house agreed to jointly engage in some forms of new business related to high technology in such fields as biotechnology and information technology.
The two parties have since tried to realize the project, with a wholly owned subsidiary of the university holding talks with multiple Japanese companies on relevant technological research and development, they added.
In a written statement sent to Kyodo News in London, Oxford University said, "Oxford University enjoys a cooperative and collaborative relationship with Mitsui on a number of fronts, and that relationship is expanding. However, there are no plans to develop an Oxford University campus in Japan at this time."
http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060510/kyodo/d8hh1qvg2.html
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Adult education courses to provide career skills certification
Adults taking university extension courses to improve their skills or knowledge for career changes or reemployment will be eligible for certification under a new system to be established by the government, The Yomiuri Shimbun has learned.
The certification system, which was conceived as a response to criticism the nation has experienced a widening economic gap under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is designed to give adults a chance to increase their job skills and have them officially recognized with certificates for courses such as finance or information technology.
The proposed system will be included among policies to be mapped out this month by a government council to promote a more skilled workforce, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe. Sources say the system could be put into practice as early as next academic year.
Though many national, public and private universities offer adult education classes, there are no criteria for the courses, which range from general interest subjects to graduate school-level study. However, only some universities present their students with certificates.
(May. 9, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060509TDY02005.htm
The certification system, which was conceived as a response to criticism the nation has experienced a widening economic gap under Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, is designed to give adults a chance to increase their job skills and have them officially recognized with certificates for courses such as finance or information technology.
The proposed system will be included among policies to be mapped out this month by a government council to promote a more skilled workforce, chaired by Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe. Sources say the system could be put into practice as early as next academic year.
Though many national, public and private universities offer adult education classes, there are no criteria for the courses, which range from general interest subjects to graduate school-level study. However, only some universities present their students with certificates.
(May. 9, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060509TDY02005.htm
Monday, May 08, 2006
Encouraging students to speak in many voices
With the population of 18-year-olds decreasing every year, Japanese universities are facing a fight for survival. Over a quarter of them could not recruit enough students to fill their official capacity last year.
Foreign language faculties are no exception. Although learning English has had an unprecedented boom in Japan in recent years, this has not really benefited university foreign language faculties.
For one thing, other departments have been putting increasingly more emphasis on their own English teaching programs. English, in other words, is no longer the specialty of the English department.
Other departments such as German and French are also having difficulty recruiting good students. Moreover, the demand of the students in these departments--and even of their parents--for more English-language courses is so strong that these departments are on the verge of sacrificing their own courses to open extra English courses.
This is a sad situation. True, none can deny the importance of English as a communication tool in today's globalized world. To learn different languages, though, is also to learn and understand different cultures and peoples, to better appreciate the values of others and learn how humanity can better coexist.
Oddly enough, a growing number of foreigners living in Japan are non-English-speaking Asians and South Americans. Since many of them have Asian features, especially Chinese and Koreans, we tend to overlook this fact. But even our neighborhoods are becoming multicultural, a tendency that will increase with the anticipated future shortage of younger workers.
In such a society, learning English alone seems insufficient, as important as the language may be in business and academic environments.
What should the future of a faculty of foreign languages be in this situation?
I have two tentative, contradictory prescriptions: The first is to make our students specialists, and the second is to make them generalists.
The first applies to the departments of English and other languages. To survive in the current situation, English majors must have excellent language skills, and the department should offer effective and extensive language programs.
The same applies to the departments of other languages--though fortunately, these students may not need extraordinarily high-level skills because they have fewer competitors than English majors. Nonetheless, these departments should still provide their students with a minimal English proficiency.
In addition, all language departments should offer sets of courses to make their students specialists in their chosen fields. Students should be equipped with both the theoretical and practical aspects of communication needed to understand the culture and to interact with the people who use the language they are learning. The keyword here is communication, or "intercultural communication." My hypothesis is that you can cope with a multicultural situation if you have sufficiently mastered a bicultural one.
My second proposed solution--producing generalists--is based on my experience with the Department of Languages and Culture at Dokkyo.
Here, students are required to learn both English and either Spanish or Chinese; they study both languages equally. The department also offers a good Japanese language program and has successfully recruited students from overseas, especially from East Asian countries where Japanese and English are usually emphasized.
Many of the faculty here come from the former liberal arts division, which used to take care of liberal arts education for the whole university. Partly as a result, the department offers a wide variety of courses, including Japanese studies.
Despite our worries that it was too far oriented to producing generalists, it has been successful since its creation seven years ago. Many of the graduates have a very good reputation in the business and academic sectors. The department's emphasis on liberal arts education and the study of not only Spanish-speaking areas and China but Japan itself, together with the multicultural environment created by the overseas students, has made its students the kind of language majors that can send out messages about their own country and culture--true generalists, in other words.
As we are not yet sure which of these two solutions is correct, we have decided to create a new faculty of "international liberal arts" by enlarging and strengthening the present Department of Languages and Culture.
In this new faculty, students will be able to also learn English and Korean. The emphasis will be on the study of the developing Pacific Rim regions, the evaluation of Japanese culture and thought, the understanding of the significance of the multilingual and multicultural environment, and on international exchanges. The program will start next April if approved by the Ministry of Education.
Which will appeal more, the generalist or the specialist approach? Hopefully, both answers are correct.
* * *
The author is the dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Dokkyo University.(IHT/Asahi: May 8,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200605080091.html
Foreign language faculties are no exception. Although learning English has had an unprecedented boom in Japan in recent years, this has not really benefited university foreign language faculties.
For one thing, other departments have been putting increasingly more emphasis on their own English teaching programs. English, in other words, is no longer the specialty of the English department.
Other departments such as German and French are also having difficulty recruiting good students. Moreover, the demand of the students in these departments--and even of their parents--for more English-language courses is so strong that these departments are on the verge of sacrificing their own courses to open extra English courses.
This is a sad situation. True, none can deny the importance of English as a communication tool in today's globalized world. To learn different languages, though, is also to learn and understand different cultures and peoples, to better appreciate the values of others and learn how humanity can better coexist.
Oddly enough, a growing number of foreigners living in Japan are non-English-speaking Asians and South Americans. Since many of them have Asian features, especially Chinese and Koreans, we tend to overlook this fact. But even our neighborhoods are becoming multicultural, a tendency that will increase with the anticipated future shortage of younger workers.
In such a society, learning English alone seems insufficient, as important as the language may be in business and academic environments.
What should the future of a faculty of foreign languages be in this situation?
I have two tentative, contradictory prescriptions: The first is to make our students specialists, and the second is to make them generalists.
The first applies to the departments of English and other languages. To survive in the current situation, English majors must have excellent language skills, and the department should offer effective and extensive language programs.
The same applies to the departments of other languages--though fortunately, these students may not need extraordinarily high-level skills because they have fewer competitors than English majors. Nonetheless, these departments should still provide their students with a minimal English proficiency.
In addition, all language departments should offer sets of courses to make their students specialists in their chosen fields. Students should be equipped with both the theoretical and practical aspects of communication needed to understand the culture and to interact with the people who use the language they are learning. The keyword here is communication, or "intercultural communication." My hypothesis is that you can cope with a multicultural situation if you have sufficiently mastered a bicultural one.
My second proposed solution--producing generalists--is based on my experience with the Department of Languages and Culture at Dokkyo.
Here, students are required to learn both English and either Spanish or Chinese; they study both languages equally. The department also offers a good Japanese language program and has successfully recruited students from overseas, especially from East Asian countries where Japanese and English are usually emphasized.
Many of the faculty here come from the former liberal arts division, which used to take care of liberal arts education for the whole university. Partly as a result, the department offers a wide variety of courses, including Japanese studies.
Despite our worries that it was too far oriented to producing generalists, it has been successful since its creation seven years ago. Many of the graduates have a very good reputation in the business and academic sectors. The department's emphasis on liberal arts education and the study of not only Spanish-speaking areas and China but Japan itself, together with the multicultural environment created by the overseas students, has made its students the kind of language majors that can send out messages about their own country and culture--true generalists, in other words.
As we are not yet sure which of these two solutions is correct, we have decided to create a new faculty of "international liberal arts" by enlarging and strengthening the present Department of Languages and Culture.
In this new faculty, students will be able to also learn English and Korean. The emphasis will be on the study of the developing Pacific Rim regions, the evaluation of Japanese culture and thought, the understanding of the significance of the multilingual and multicultural environment, and on international exchanges. The program will start next April if approved by the Ministry of Education.
Which will appeal more, the generalist or the specialist approach? Hopefully, both answers are correct.
* * *
The author is the dean of the Faculty of Foreign Languages at Dokkyo University.(IHT/Asahi: May 8,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200605080091.html
Virtual experience video game turns arcades into classrooms
Konami Corp. aims to lure bookworms into game arcades.
Its bait? The summer debut of a game that tests the player's English skills.
The company's move comes on a wave of popularity of home console video games that involve mental exercises, such as Brain Age for Nintendo Co.'s DS handheld machine.
Konami expects the new game, to be jointly developed with foreign-language school operator Nova Corp., to attract new customers to game arcades.
"Game de Ryugaku!? (Virtual overseas study experience)" consists of 15 English-based games featuring Nova's rabbit-like character Nova Usagi.
Players indicate the correct answer on the machine's touch-screen with a stylus. They can touch words to complete an English idiom or make Nova Usagi's parachute land on the correct answer.
The difficulty will range from junior high school level to questions that could prove to be posers even for native speakers, Konami said.
Players will get promoted to higher grades according to the level of questions solved.
A personal card will be issued that identifies the player so that he or she can continue from the grade achieved on the game last played.
"This is a new genre that can bring in people who do not usually come to game arcades," a Konami official said.
The company is considering developing other educational games for mathematics and kanji.(IHT/Asahi: May 3,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200605030105.html
Its bait? The summer debut of a game that tests the player's English skills.
The company's move comes on a wave of popularity of home console video games that involve mental exercises, such as Brain Age for Nintendo Co.'s DS handheld machine.
Konami expects the new game, to be jointly developed with foreign-language school operator Nova Corp., to attract new customers to game arcades.
"Game de Ryugaku!? (Virtual overseas study experience)" consists of 15 English-based games featuring Nova's rabbit-like character Nova Usagi.
Players indicate the correct answer on the machine's touch-screen with a stylus. They can touch words to complete an English idiom or make Nova Usagi's parachute land on the correct answer.
The difficulty will range from junior high school level to questions that could prove to be posers even for native speakers, Konami said.
Players will get promoted to higher grades according to the level of questions solved.
A personal card will be issued that identifies the player so that he or she can continue from the grade achieved on the game last played.
"This is a new genre that can bring in people who do not usually come to game arcades," a Konami official said.
The company is considering developing other educational games for mathematics and kanji.(IHT/Asahi: May 3,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200605030105.html
Monday, May 01, 2006
TOEIC revisions mean big change in English study
A major revision of the Test of English for International Communications, or TOEIC, that will be implemented with testing on May 28 is sure to make people studying English work a lot harder.
Kazumi Iwase gives lessons recently at ARE, a school in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, that specializes in preparing students for TOEIC.
TOEIC, which consists of listening and reading portions to evaluate English proficiency, has a corner on the English qualification test market in Japan.
This is one of TOEIC's biggest markets, with nearly 1.5 million people here taking it in fiscal 2005 while the overall number worldwide stood at some 4.5 million in 2004, according to the Institute for International Business Communication.
It is the first revision since the English proficiency test for nonnative speakers was launched in 1979.
The changes will be instituted next year for group participants who take the exam on a corporate basis.
"The idea behind the changes is to make the test 'more authentic' . . . and meet the needs of the times and the situation regarding how English is actually being used" at work, said Kazumi Yamamoto, an IIBC spokeswoman. The IIBC is the Japanese administrator of TOEIC, which is a product of the U.S.-based English Testing Service.
"For the past 25 years, we have seen such changes as the emergence of e-mail as a major communication means," while reading and analyzing long passages in English is growing increasingly more common in the business field, she said.
The biggest changes in the new listening portion of the test is that it will use four accents -- American, British, Canadian and Australian -- and each conversation will be longer.
In the reading section, error recognition questions will be replaced by fill-in-the blanks based on long passages. Test-takers will be required to answer questions by reading two interrelated passages instead of a single passage.
The number of total questions, 200, and the duration, two hours, will remain unchanged. Scores range from 10 to 990.
Although the IIBC maintains these changes are not intended to make the exam more difficult, it is widely perceived as a step toward more dramatic revisions, prompting many to take the test before it gets harder.
The number of people who took the test in March -- the last time under the old version -- was a record 140,000, up 19.2 percent year-on-year, according to the IIBC.
ETS is also considering the addition of new writing and speaking components in the future, the IIBC said.
The media has reported that the writing and speaking components will be added in late 2006, but the IIBC said the timing has not been decided.
All Round English Inc., which operates a school in Tokyo focusing on preparing for TOEIC, believes it is inevitable that ETS will make the test more difficult.
"The future direction of (TOEIC) is to prevent test-takers who only learn techniques from getting high marks," ARE President Yoshinari Nagamoto said.
The revision will affect many workers in Japan.
Some 2,500 companies, organizations and educational institutions here use the test not only to assess English proficiency but also to determine promotions and overseas assignments.
Globalization "is inevitably increasing employees' chances of communicating in English at work," said Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Yurika Motoyoshi.
The world's second-largest automaker is rapidly expanding its production bases and overseas networks, making its workers' English training a primary concern.
In 1999, Toyota made it a requirement that administrative and engineering personnel had to have a TOEIC score of at least 600 to be promoted to the equivalent of section chief.
In addition, Toyota introduced TOEIC Bridge -- the English test for beginners whose score ranges from 20 to 180 -- to evaluate the English skills of production workers.
The IIBC tailored the TOEIC Bridge score evaluation to the characteristics of manufacturing employees. For instance, those who attain scores of 96 to 115 "can give instructions on how to attach an armrest of a car."
"As we shift production overseas, an increasing number of manufacturing workers in Japan are being dispatched abroad to support overseas production," to convey not only technical skills but also Toyota's philosophy, to local employees, Motoyoshi said.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. in April raised the TOEIC score requirement to 550 from the previous 450 for almost every employee wishing to be promoted to above the section chief level, while those aspiring to get overseas assignments are required to achieve a score of 650.
"The good thing about TOEIC is that we can objectively assess the workers' ability to use English in terms of scores," said Hiroaki Nishimura of the firm's global human resources team.
"I think 730 is the ideal score level for business in general and we wanted to raise the minimum standard even if only slightly," he said, adding that the electronics giant intends to raise the mandatory level in the future.
He welcomes the revision of TOEIC because it will enable Matsushita to assess its employees' English proficiency more accurately. "Lacking substantial English skills means that you'll get less job opportunities in the workplace."
People who try to learn techniques just to get a good score regardless of their actual ability to communicate in English are going to have a much tougher time with TOEIC now.
But Masahiro Takamoto, who studies English at TOEIC prep school ARE, is optimistic about the exam's future direction.
The 32-year-old employee of Visionare Corp., a venture company engaged in DVD-related business, said his ultimate goal is not to obtain high marks but to gain English skills that will someday help him get a job overseas.
He spends five hours at the school every Saturday, attending four lessons to prepare for the test.
Takamoto, who achieved a TOEIC score of 715 in March, up about 60 points from the last time he took the test two years ago, said preparing for TOEIC helps because he can learn practical words used in business.
"In the long run, the revision of TOEIC will affect me in a good way because I'm serious about improving my English."
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060501f1.html
Kazumi Iwase gives lessons recently at ARE, a school in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo, that specializes in preparing students for TOEIC.
TOEIC, which consists of listening and reading portions to evaluate English proficiency, has a corner on the English qualification test market in Japan.
This is one of TOEIC's biggest markets, with nearly 1.5 million people here taking it in fiscal 2005 while the overall number worldwide stood at some 4.5 million in 2004, according to the Institute for International Business Communication.
It is the first revision since the English proficiency test for nonnative speakers was launched in 1979.
The changes will be instituted next year for group participants who take the exam on a corporate basis.
"The idea behind the changes is to make the test 'more authentic' . . . and meet the needs of the times and the situation regarding how English is actually being used" at work, said Kazumi Yamamoto, an IIBC spokeswoman. The IIBC is the Japanese administrator of TOEIC, which is a product of the U.S.-based English Testing Service.
"For the past 25 years, we have seen such changes as the emergence of e-mail as a major communication means," while reading and analyzing long passages in English is growing increasingly more common in the business field, she said.
The biggest changes in the new listening portion of the test is that it will use four accents -- American, British, Canadian and Australian -- and each conversation will be longer.
In the reading section, error recognition questions will be replaced by fill-in-the blanks based on long passages. Test-takers will be required to answer questions by reading two interrelated passages instead of a single passage.
The number of total questions, 200, and the duration, two hours, will remain unchanged. Scores range from 10 to 990.
Although the IIBC maintains these changes are not intended to make the exam more difficult, it is widely perceived as a step toward more dramatic revisions, prompting many to take the test before it gets harder.
The number of people who took the test in March -- the last time under the old version -- was a record 140,000, up 19.2 percent year-on-year, according to the IIBC.
ETS is also considering the addition of new writing and speaking components in the future, the IIBC said.
The media has reported that the writing and speaking components will be added in late 2006, but the IIBC said the timing has not been decided.
All Round English Inc., which operates a school in Tokyo focusing on preparing for TOEIC, believes it is inevitable that ETS will make the test more difficult.
"The future direction of (TOEIC) is to prevent test-takers who only learn techniques from getting high marks," ARE President Yoshinari Nagamoto said.
The revision will affect many workers in Japan.
Some 2,500 companies, organizations and educational institutions here use the test not only to assess English proficiency but also to determine promotions and overseas assignments.
Globalization "is inevitably increasing employees' chances of communicating in English at work," said Toyota Motor Corp. spokeswoman Yurika Motoyoshi.
The world's second-largest automaker is rapidly expanding its production bases and overseas networks, making its workers' English training a primary concern.
In 1999, Toyota made it a requirement that administrative and engineering personnel had to have a TOEIC score of at least 600 to be promoted to the equivalent of section chief.
In addition, Toyota introduced TOEIC Bridge -- the English test for beginners whose score ranges from 20 to 180 -- to evaluate the English skills of production workers.
The IIBC tailored the TOEIC Bridge score evaluation to the characteristics of manufacturing employees. For instance, those who attain scores of 96 to 115 "can give instructions on how to attach an armrest of a car."
"As we shift production overseas, an increasing number of manufacturing workers in Japan are being dispatched abroad to support overseas production," to convey not only technical skills but also Toyota's philosophy, to local employees, Motoyoshi said.
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. in April raised the TOEIC score requirement to 550 from the previous 450 for almost every employee wishing to be promoted to above the section chief level, while those aspiring to get overseas assignments are required to achieve a score of 650.
"The good thing about TOEIC is that we can objectively assess the workers' ability to use English in terms of scores," said Hiroaki Nishimura of the firm's global human resources team.
"I think 730 is the ideal score level for business in general and we wanted to raise the minimum standard even if only slightly," he said, adding that the electronics giant intends to raise the mandatory level in the future.
He welcomes the revision of TOEIC because it will enable Matsushita to assess its employees' English proficiency more accurately. "Lacking substantial English skills means that you'll get less job opportunities in the workplace."
People who try to learn techniques just to get a good score regardless of their actual ability to communicate in English are going to have a much tougher time with TOEIC now.
But Masahiro Takamoto, who studies English at TOEIC prep school ARE, is optimistic about the exam's future direction.
The 32-year-old employee of Visionare Corp., a venture company engaged in DVD-related business, said his ultimate goal is not to obtain high marks but to gain English skills that will someday help him get a job overseas.
He spends five hours at the school every Saturday, attending four lessons to prepare for the test.
Takamoto, who achieved a TOEIC score of 715 in March, up about 60 points from the last time he took the test two years ago, said preparing for TOEIC helps because he can learn practical words used in business.
"In the long run, the revision of TOEIC will affect me in a good way because I'm serious about improving my English."
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20060501f1.html
Ministry plans to reorganize grad schools
A five-year program to create a better study environment for graduate students and young researchers has been announced by the Education, Science and Technology Ministry. The program, to begin this academic year, aims to rein in autocratic professors and stimulate international competitiveness.
According to the ministry, the program is meant to end the conventional "academic unit system" structure, a hierarchical, apprenticeship-style faculty practice under which a professor bosses around younger researchers.
While the number of students continuing into post-graduate study has rapidly increased in recent years, many graduate schools have been criticized by the business sector and from abroad for poor education levels, officials said Saturday.
Enhancing of the quality of graduate schools is a prerequisite for boosting Japan's international competitiveness in business and technology, the ministry said.
Toward the end of March, the ministry eliminated the academic unit system from the prerequisites for university charters. It also worked out a five-year project called "An Outlook of Measures Necessary for the Promotion of Postgraduate Education."
Under the academic unit system, the head professor in each specialty has a dominant say over assistant professors and other research assistants in his unit regarding personnel affairs and research methods.
Criticism of the apprenticeship-like system has increased among graduate students and other young researchers who say they feel like they are treated as low-paid employees of professors.
The ministry quoted some young researchers complaining that their head professors had monopolized decisions on the content of their research and that they are made to do odd jobs for the professors.
Following the ministry's decision to abolish the system, universities from this academic year have been allowed to create new education-research systems.
Effective from next academic year, the post of assistant professor will be abolished and replaced by the new post of associate professor. Associate professors will be capable of exercising discretion in educating students and undertaking research activities, the officials said.
They said the time has come to revamp the conventional faculty system under which graduate students and other young researchers are supposed to acquire expert knowledge by being assistants to senior professors.
The business community also has criticized the system for lacking flexibility in allowing academic knowledge to be applied for industrial purposes.
In response, the ministry plans to introduce an evaluation system by a third-party organ of individual graduate courses, effective this academic year, the ministry said.
In addition, new steps will be taken to expand financial assistance programs for young researchers, it said.
The ongoing project, the 21st Century Center of Excellence program designed to provide government subsidies for universities and postgraduate courses if they are officially recognized as doing high-level research, will be replaced by a new one. Priority in recasting the Center of Excellence program either this fiscal year or next will be placed on boosting the quality and international competitiveness of postgraduate education, according to the officials.
The number of students enrolled nationwide in postgraduate courses stood at about 87,000 in 1988. The number jumped to about 254,000 in 2005, the ministry said.
(May. 1, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060501TDY01002.htm
According to the ministry, the program is meant to end the conventional "academic unit system" structure, a hierarchical, apprenticeship-style faculty practice under which a professor bosses around younger researchers.
While the number of students continuing into post-graduate study has rapidly increased in recent years, many graduate schools have been criticized by the business sector and from abroad for poor education levels, officials said Saturday.
Enhancing of the quality of graduate schools is a prerequisite for boosting Japan's international competitiveness in business and technology, the ministry said.
Toward the end of March, the ministry eliminated the academic unit system from the prerequisites for university charters. It also worked out a five-year project called "An Outlook of Measures Necessary for the Promotion of Postgraduate Education."
Under the academic unit system, the head professor in each specialty has a dominant say over assistant professors and other research assistants in his unit regarding personnel affairs and research methods.
Criticism of the apprenticeship-like system has increased among graduate students and other young researchers who say they feel like they are treated as low-paid employees of professors.
The ministry quoted some young researchers complaining that their head professors had monopolized decisions on the content of their research and that they are made to do odd jobs for the professors.
Following the ministry's decision to abolish the system, universities from this academic year have been allowed to create new education-research systems.
Effective from next academic year, the post of assistant professor will be abolished and replaced by the new post of associate professor. Associate professors will be capable of exercising discretion in educating students and undertaking research activities, the officials said.
They said the time has come to revamp the conventional faculty system under which graduate students and other young researchers are supposed to acquire expert knowledge by being assistants to senior professors.
The business community also has criticized the system for lacking flexibility in allowing academic knowledge to be applied for industrial purposes.
In response, the ministry plans to introduce an evaluation system by a third-party organ of individual graduate courses, effective this academic year, the ministry said.
In addition, new steps will be taken to expand financial assistance programs for young researchers, it said.
The ongoing project, the 21st Century Center of Excellence program designed to provide government subsidies for universities and postgraduate courses if they are officially recognized as doing high-level research, will be replaced by a new one. Priority in recasting the Center of Excellence program either this fiscal year or next will be placed on boosting the quality and international competitiveness of postgraduate education, according to the officials.
The number of students enrolled nationwide in postgraduate courses stood at about 87,000 in 1988. The number jumped to about 254,000 in 2005, the ministry said.
(May. 1, 2006)
http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20060501TDY01002.htm
Japan firms, universities to cooperate to nurture software engineers - report
TOKYO (AFX) - Japan's business and academic communities are set to cooperate in a project to fill the shortage of software engineers and boost the global competitiveness of Japan's manufacturing and service industries, the Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported, citing sources close to the matter.
Among the participants are universities nationwide, the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and 14 major information technology-related companies, the newspaper said.
Under the scheme, the nation's largest business lobby will encourage universities to set up graduate courses dedicated to the training of software engineers.
Corporate participants, including Hitachi, Fujitsu, NEC Corp, IBM Japan Ltd, NTT Data Corp and NS Solutions Corp, will provide engineers to serve as full-time and part-time lecturers, it said.
Toyota Motor Corp and Sony Corp will do the same in an effort to strengthen the country's ability to develop software that can be incorporated into automobiles, household appliances and other products, the report said.
http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5628655&subject=economic&action=article
Among the participants are universities nationwide, the Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) and 14 major information technology-related companies, the newspaper said.
Under the scheme, the nation's largest business lobby will encourage universities to set up graduate courses dedicated to the training of software engineers.
Corporate participants, including Hitachi, Fujitsu, NEC Corp, IBM Japan Ltd, NTT Data Corp and NS Solutions Corp, will provide engineers to serve as full-time and part-time lecturers, it said.
Toyota Motor Corp and Sony Corp will do the same in an effort to strengthen the country's ability to develop software that can be incorporated into automobiles, household appliances and other products, the report said.
http://www.iii.co.uk/news/?type=afxnews&articleid=5628655&subject=economic&action=article
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