Guidebook to Japanese colleges makes way to bookstores in China

A guidebook on Japanese universities hit the shelves of bookstores in major Chinese cities earlier this month to attract more students amid declining enrollment.

Study guide: The Chinese-language book "Study in Japan" contains information for Chinese students seeking to study at Japanese universities. KYODO

The book provides details on about 600 public and private universities in Japan and tips on how to find jobs as well.

As of May last year, some 140,000 non-Japanese were enrolled at universities and other institutions of learning in Japan. Chinese made up the bulk of the students at around 88,000.

"We want to help increase the number of Chinese students further," said an official with a Tokyo-based nonprofit group that promotes bilateral educational exchanges and supervised the guidebook.

The book cites the Hayabusa space probe, which concluded a seven-year trip to asteroid Itokawa in 2010, and Japan's research on induced pluripotent stem cells for regenerative medicine as examples of Japan's contributions to cutting-edge technology. It also ranks colleges by academic discipline.

The book might be sold in Japan in the future, targeting foreign students, the NPO said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120724a9.html

Study-abroad language barrier lowered

It will become possible to obtain the necessary qualifications in Japanese to enroll in leading universities overseas, such as Harvard University in the United States, the education ministry has said.

The International Baccalaureate (IB), which offers internationally recognized educational qualifications, has three programs--Primary Years, Middle Years and Diploma. The IB Diploma Program, which covers material equivalent to Japan's high school curriculum, can be used instead of domestic qualifications to enter universities in foreign countries.

The International Baccalaureate Organization, based in Switzerland, told the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry on Monday that it would allow the IB Diploma Program to be conducted in Japanese. The ministry will consider concrete steps to start the program.

The IB programs are currently offered in English, French and Spanish, with parts also offered in German and Chinese. If the program is allowed to be conducted in Japanese, it will become the sixth language to be used in the IB courses.

The IB educational programs focus not only on acquiring knowledge but also on developing the ability to find solutions to problems through discussion.

To enter an overseas university from Japan, a student needs to meet various requirements, such as passing exams that differ depending on the target country. Students can also qualify to take an examination for about 2,000 universities if they complete the IB Diploma Program and score at least 24 out of a possible 45 points on a standard IB exam that is administered at the same time around the world.

Therefore, offering the IB Diploma Program in Japanese is expected to encourage more Japanese students to study abroad.

The training of instructors and examiners for the exams will also be in Japanese. However, some classes and exams will be conducted in English to help students develop the language skills to study overseas at leading universities.

As the diploma program is currently only offered in English in Japan, it is difficult to find teachers with the necessary language skills. This is part of the reason why apart from international schools, only five high schools in Japan offer the program.

The government asked the organization to allow the program to be conducted in Japanese because it wants 200 high schools to offer the course as part of efforts to develop internationally competitive students.

(Jun. 20, 2012)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120619003881.htm

For Japanese job seekers, overseas study can be deal killer

Ronan Sato, a graduate student in applied statistics at Oxford University in England, has always been keen to work in his native Japan. But at a careers fair for overseas Japanese students, he found that corporate Japan did not reciprocate his enthusiasm.

In meetings with a handful of Japanese financial trading firms at the forum in Boston last November, none would offer him a job without further interviews in Tokyo.

So Sato, who received three offers on the spot from non-Japanese corporations, accepted a position in Tokyo with a big British bank.

“I really wanted to gain experience at a Japanese company, but they seemed cautious,” Sato said. “Do Japanese companies really want global talent? It seemed to me like they’re not really serious.”

Notoriously insular, corporate Japan has long been wary of embracing Western-educated compatriots who return to the homeland. But critics say the reluctance to tap the international experience of these young people is a growing problem for Japan as some of its major industries — like banking, consumer electronics and automobiles — lose ground in an increasingly global economy.

Discouraged by their career prospects if they study abroad, even at elite universities, a shrinking portion of Japanese college students is seeking a Western education. At the same time, regional rivals like China, South Korea and India are sending increasing numbers of students overseas — many of whom, upon graduation, are snapped up by companies back home for their skills, contacts and global outlooks.

“Japanese companies here are missing out on the best foreign talent, and it’s all their fault,” said Toshihiko Irisumi, a graduate of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and former Goldman Sachs banker. He runs Alpha Leaders, a Tokyo-based consulting firm that helps match top young talent with employers based in Japan. “They really need to change their mindset.”

A United States-born graduate of Brown University who has a dual citizenship in Japan, one of about a dozen foreign-educated Japanese nationals interviewed for this article, said she was told she “laughed too much” in interviews for a technology job in Tokyo.

Others with Western educations recall being treated with suspicion by Japanese recruiters, who referred to them openly as “over spec” — too elite to fit in, too eager to get ahead and too likely to be poached or to switch employers before long.

What is more, Japanese students who study overseas often find that by the time they enter the job hunt back home, they are far behind compatriots who have already contacted as many as 100 companies and received help from extensive alumni networks. And those who spend too long overseas find they are shut out by rigid age preferences for graduates no older than their mid-20s.

In a survey of 1,000 Japanese companies taken last June on their recruitment plans for the March 2012 fiscal year by the Tokyo-based recruitment company Disco, fewer than a quarter said they planned to hire Japanese applicants who had studied abroad. Even among top companies with more than a thousand employees, less than 40 percent said they wanted to hire Japanese with overseas education.  That attitude might help explain why, even as the number of Japanese enrolled in college has held steady at around 3 million in recent years, the number studying abroad has declined from a peak of nearly 83,000 in 2004 to fewer than 60,000 in 2009 — the most recent year for which the figures are available from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

In some ways, the Japanese snubbing of Western graduates is a testament to the perceived strength of their own universities, seen by many here as more prestigious than even the best U.S. and European schools — despite their mediocre showing in various global college rankings.

At U.S. universities, only 21,290 Japanese students were registered last year, less than half the number a decade ago. U.S. universities last year had 73,350 students from South Korea, even though it has less than half of Japan’s population,

“There is an awareness that Japan’s competitiveness is falling, and we need a more global workforce,” said Kazunori Masugo, head of the Senri International School in western Japan and a member of a central government committee on education and training. Lessons at Senri are taught mostly in English and the school sends a handful of students to colleges in the United States and Europe each year.

“But the environment in Japan is such that if you go overseas to study, you have to be prepared to go your own route, find your own way,” he said.

Ryutaro Sakamoto, who paid his way through the University of Toronto and returned to Japan at age 30 with a business degree, found he was too old to apply through standard recruitment programs. He sent resumes to the likes of Panasonic and Sony, anyway, but never heard back. Eventually, the Japanese unit of the U.S. insurance company Prudential was happy to put his bilingual skills to use.

“In Japan, taking the time to study overseas sets you back in the shukatsu race,” Sakamoto said.

“Shukatsu” refers to the system in which Japanese companies typically hire the bulk of their workers straight from college and expect them to stay until retirement. Not getting a job upon graduation is seen as a potential career killer.

So competition is fierce. In the last three years, the percentage of new graduates in Japan who found work was the lowest since the government started collecting comparable data in 1996. As of Feb. 1, with two months left in the recruiting season, a fifth of students in their final year at college had yet to find jobs.

“Shukatsu is like Kabuki theater,” said Takayuki Matsumoto, an Osaka-based career consultant. “It’s difficult when you don’t fit the template.”

His advice to returnees: Don’t be too assertive or ask too many questions.

Kenta Koga, one of only a handful of Japanese undergraduates to enter Yale in 2010, violated many of the unwritten rules when he came back last summer for an internship at a big Japanese advertising agency in Tokyo. As he made client rounds with his boss, who was advising on the latest trends in technology or social media, Koga, a computer science major, felt the urge to speak up.

“Some of what they were discussing was old or plain wrong,” he said. But he was careful to steep his language in the appropriate honorifics reserved for elders. “I’m terribly sorry to interrupt,” he said he would murmur. “My deepest apologies if you already knew this.”

Still, his supervisors were annoyed. “You are being too scary and preventing other people from speaking,” one boss said, according to Koga. On another occasion, he said, he was censured for crossing his arms in front of senior colleagues. He was eventually excluded from meetings and assigned seemingly dead-end tasks. He now says he would never work for a Japanese company.

Some Japanese companies have made a point of reaching out to returnees. U-Shin, an auto parts maker, attracted attention in February when it placed a prominent ad in Japan’s largest business daily offering twice the normal starting pay to candidates with overseas degrees.

“We plan to expand aggressively overseas, so we need recruits who were themselves bold enough to go overseas,” said Koji Tanabe, U-Shin’s chief executive.

But U-Shin seems the rare exception. The Japanese financial giant Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi more closely fits the norm. Each year, it hires about 1,200 fresh graduates. Usually, fewer than 20 have studied overseas or are non-Japanese, said Keiichi Hotta, a recruiter for the bank.

Hotta said careers were built differently in the West. “We’re cautious because we emphasize continuity and long-term commitment to the company,” Hotta said. “Especially in finance, we don’t want people who are focused on short-term gains.”

No wonder some returnees play down their exposure to Western ways. Norihiro Yonezawa, who studied for a year at the University of Maryland, said he did not emphasize his overseas experience or English skills when he interviewed — successfully — for a coveted job at Panasonic.

“I didn’t want to come across as a showoff. So I stressed how I worked hard and overcame that,” he said. “And I made sure to emphasize that I would still fit in.”

 http://www.staradvertiser.com/news/nyt/20120529_For_Japanese_job_seekers_overseas_study_can_be_deal_killer.html

Hello Work branches to be set up at universities

The government plans to set up Hello Work job placement branches at universities to support college students who have been struggling to find jobs amid a stagnant economy.

A draft proposal for promoting the employment of young people calls for Hello Work officers to work closely with the schools' job placement personnel so students can find jobs.

It also promotes enhanced career education and support for small firms so they can secure human resources.

In local areas, the government plans to enhance cooperation among municipalities, schools, businesses and nonprofit groups to promote internships and practical job training.

The draft will serve as a basis for working group discussions by a government panel consisting of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and relevant ministers, as well as experts and representatives from the labor and management fields, who are expected to come up with their final proposals in June.

A government estimate said Saturday that livelihood subsidies are expected to grow to ¥5.2 trillion in fiscal 2025, up 40 percent from the ¥3.7 trillion projected for the year through next March.

Since welfare costs, which totaled ¥2.2 trillion in fiscal 2002, are rising, the ministry forecast will inevitably stir debate on how to make recipients more self-reliant and how to guard against welfare fraud.

Annual welfare benefits are expected to reach ¥4.1 trillion in fiscal 2015, ¥4.6 trillion in fiscal 2020 and ¥5.2 trillion in fiscal 2025, the estimate said.

The costs translate to 0.8 percent of Japan's gross domestic product for fiscal 2012 and supposedly 0.9 percent for fiscal 2025, it said.

Medical aid accounts for around half of the benefits and will surge to ¥2.6 trillion in fiscal 2025 from ¥1.7 trillion in fiscal 2012, the estimate said.

The number of people on welfare has been setting new records each month since July 2011 and reached 2,091,902 as of January this year.

While many of the recipients are elderly people, there are an increasing number of working-age people who have lost jobs amid the Great Recession triggered by the near collapse of global financial markets in 2008.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120514a2.html

Academics eye global cooperation

The presidents and vice presidents of 14 universities in 10 countries and areas around the world gathered in Tokyo on Sunday to discuss how to nurture globally minded citizens in today's changing world.

The academics and others agreed on the necessity of promoting the liberal arts and intercultural communications to produce students that can contribute to their communities and the increasingly globalized society.

The forum was organized to mark the 20th anniversary of Josai International University foundation this year. The participating 14 panelists were top administrators of JIU and its overseas sister schools, including Camosun College in Canada, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in South Korea, the University of Cologne, Germany, and Northeastern University in China.

In the opening address before an audience of some 200 people, held at the Tokyo campus of Josei, Noriko Mizuta, chancellor of the university and organizer of the event, said universities in Japan face precisely the same issues as universities in the rest of the world.

"In order to open up new avenues in today's difficult times, nothing is more important" than to promote interuniversity cooperations on a global scale, she said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120430a6.html

Japan's globalisation efforts blossoming

The global education stage has become less fixed in recent years regarding what constitutes a “source” country versus a “destination” country for students seeking to study abroad, and Japan is a good example of this. Once regarded as a source of students for big study abroad markets like the UK, the US, Canada and Australia, Japan began to reposition itself in 2008 as a study abroad destination. Among the most visible strategies introduced was the Global 30 program aimed at bringing in 300,000 international students by 2020: 30 Japanese universities were selected to receive intensive support to enable them to achieve specific goals.



Since then, six Japanese universities placed in the top 100 of the 2011/2012 QS World University Rankings (up from four in 2009); but there was also the devastation of 3/11 (2011’s tsunami, earthquake and radiation catastrophe) and the inevitable decrease in foreign visitors this entailed.



Japan appears to be at a turning point. On the one hand, the nation’s big universities are reporting a smaller drop in foreign student numbers than expected for 2012, suggesting that a real rebound to pre-3/11 numbers could be on the horizon. On the other, there is debate about whether enough is being done to attract foreign students and retain them post-study in Japan’s labour force: a Japan Times online article, “Round Table on Attracting Foreign Students,” features a discussion among Japanese education experts on the issues Japan faces in “enticing overseas talent.”



Among the areas the experts cited as problems were:



    Not enough pathways for students from other Asian countries (e.g., Vietnam and China) to come study and work in Japan
    Lack of an official “foreign student support system”
    Inadequate government, industry and private sector collaboration in Japan regarding recruiting foreign students post-study to the workforce
    A perceived lack of confidence among the Japanese in terms of their nation’s strengths (e.g., compared to blockbuster China or post-3/11) and consequent weakness in promoting the country



Japan cherry blossomIn response to criticism like this, the Japanese government as well as private higher education institutions are introducing new policies and thinking beyond the “Global 30″ with the overall goal of opening up what has been called an “insular” post-secondary environment and to become more globalised.




Several examples include:



    The government has launched the “skilled migration approach,” which promotes the employment of international students in Japan after their studies
    Universities are boosting their proportions of English-taught courses, and are being supported and financially rewarded in this by government
    Private institutions are working more and more with agents to aggressively recruit international students from Asian countries (especially China)



Moreover, the government is also realising that Japan’s branding itself as a study destination country will not be enough to secure a “globalised” reputation for its higher education system; it recently announced that it will grant substantial funding to universities that agree to expand their study abroad programmes. It will offer between ¥120 million and ¥260 million in subsidies each year for five years to 40 universities that commit to the effort to increase the number of Japanese students going overseas (by such means as setting up credit transfer systems with other colleges and adding foreign instructors). According to the ministry, fewer Japanese students have been going abroad to study since marking a record 82,945 in 2004. In 2009, 59,923 Japanese went abroad to study.



The Japan Times quotes Shinichi Yamanaka, a deputy director general at the education ministry, as saying, “I believe we are entering a time to open up (Japanese) universities … to send more Japanese students abroad, universities need to make them more open to the global environment.”



The ministry reports that this year’s scholarship budget for Japanese college-goers studying overseas has been increased from 1.9 billion yen to 3.1 billion yen (approximately US$38 million).



There is much at stake for Japan when it comes to these issues. The country faces a low birthrate and shrinking labour force as well as the always-present reality of China and India’s economic expansion. Well-executed strategies for the globalisation of Japan’s education system and labour market might do much to offset these challenges.



Sources: The Japan Times, graduateschool.topuniversities.com

http://monitor.icef.com/2012/04/japans-globalisation-efforts-blossoming/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=japans-globalisation-efforts-blossoming

Attracting foreign talent to Japan's universities

The Yomiuri Shimbun's "Revitalizing Japan" series has been focusing on how to rebuild the country from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

In the previous section, we looked at how individual regions' growth through their unique characteristics could lead to reconstruction of the entire country.

The following is the first installment in the second section of the "Creative use of land" part of a series of articles examining ways to restore Japan's vitality after the March 11, 2011, disaster.

This section will examine how to secure talented human resources for the development of regions--and the nation.

Shenzhen Virtual University Park, a research institute in Shenzhen, is drawing an increasing amount of attention as the supply source for talented human resources in the rapidly developing, southern Chinese city with a population of 14 million.

The "virtual" institution, which was established in 1999, comprises offices and laboratories for more than 50 domestic and international universities, including prestigious universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University.

In Shenzhen, which used to be a fishing village with a population of 30,000 before it was designated as a special economic zone, the supply of human resources has always been a weakness.

"The city would be unable to continue its development just because it's a special economic zone unless it can secure excellent human resources," said Zhang Keke, deputy director of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institution, as he recalled the sense of urgency he felt at the time.

Zhang had worked hard to open the university park.

Building a university that was attractive to highly capable students and researchers from scratch would require a tremendously long period of time.

Therefore, Zhang came up with the idea of putting together campuses that were extensions of top-level domestic universities.

At the same time, he encouraged exchanges between participating universities and local businesses so the project could contribute to the city's industrial development.

"The school can attract talented human resources because top-level universities have established campuses there," said Tetsuya Miki, special adviser to the president of The University of Electro-Communications, a Japanese university that joined the project.

More than 140,000 students have studied at the university park.

Exchanges between the university park, local government and businesses have helped establish human connections and networks for fund provisions.

As a result, more than 700 companies have been established by the institutes' graduates with the school's support.

According to data released by the Chinese government in February, Shenzhen topped the list of Chinese cities in terms of the number of applications for international patents for the eighth consecutive year in 2011.

As economic globalization intensifies competition among not only countries, but also cities, an increasing rivalry has sprung up to win talented human resources.

Countries and cities must now make maximum use of their knowledge and expertise to attract and secure qualified people.

Singapore, which is about the same size as the total combined area of Tokyo's 23 wards, has made its presence felt globally thanks to its economic development.

The country clearly presents its goals based on its national strategies and continues efforts to attract qualified workers.

Biopolis, an international research and development center for medical services and biotechnology, was established in Singapore in 2003.

About 2,000 researchers from 60 countries now fiercely compete to lead the race for state-of-the-art research and development projects.

Benjamin Seet, executive director of the Biomedical Research Council at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research, said attracting qualified human resources was of paramount importance.

"We must lure top-level scientists to us from both home and abroad," Seet said.

Aiming to establish its status as a global research center in biotechnology, Singapore has strived to nurture its human resources at home and bring over foreign researchers as part of its national strategy.

The number of researchers working in Singaporean public institutions and the private sector almost doubled from a decade earlier to 28,300 in 2010.

The concentration of advanced research in the country produced a virtuous cycle, resulting in increased foreign investment.

Koichi Narasaka, who began teaching at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University as a visiting professor after retiring from the University of Tokyo, praised Singapore's policy.

"The Singaporean government has a clear principle of linking research results with business," he said.

When applying for research grants from public organizations and universities in Singapore, one must answer the following question: What kind of benefit will your research bring to the country?

Once criticized for their conformity, a number of Japanese universities are now pursuing innovative efforts to attract competent students and faculty members.

On Feb. 27, a special seminar was held in Bangalore, a southern Indian city known for its focus on information technology, to commemorate the launch of the University of Tokyo's Indian office.

Until recently, universities in the United States and Britain were the overwhelmingly popular choice among Indian students wishing to participate in long-term study abroad programs.

Nilesh Vasa, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, said the number of IIT Madras students interested in studying in Japan began to increase five years ago as more Japanese companies expanded production in India.

The University of Tokyo opened an office in Bangalore so it would not miss the chance to draw Indian students to study at its facilities in Japan.

Sushant Kumar, a 21-year-old student, said he developed a strong interest in Japan's advanced technology from how the nation has been recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake.

He also has concerns, however, about studying in Japan, due to his vegetarianism.

"If problems involving foreign students' special dietary needs are solved, this would largely eliminate obstacles to their desire to study in Japan," said Vice President Yoshihito Watanabe of Nagoya University, who attended the seminar.

Satisfying foreign students

Watanabe said efforts such as adjusting cafeteria menus at Japanese universities to suit foreign students' tastes will be a key indicator of whether Japanese schools can draw a larger number of foreign researchers and students.

There are about 2,550 foreign students at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, accounting for 40 per cent of the student body, making it one of the leading universities in Japan in terms of foreign enrollment.

The students come from 78 countries and territories, mainly from the Asia-Pacific region, though there are also students from Europe, the Middle East and other regions.

Lectures at the university are conducted in English, and student dormitories are adjacent to the campus to help students feel at ease in daily life.

The university has also ensured that students are able to eat meals suited to their regular habits.

Vegetarian food is available at the university's cafeteria, as is halal food for Muslim students who cannot eat pork or drink liquor.

According to university officials, cooking equipment used for dishes with pork is not used for preparing halal food.

Cafeteria management also check whether seasonings and condiments, such as soy sauce, contain distilled alcohol.

These efforts have helped the university succeed in satisfying its foreign students, leading to an increasing number of applicants from overseas, the officials said.

They also said the university has prioritized creating close relationships with high schools and administrative agencies in foreign countries through the good offices of university graduates and others.

The school has overseas offices in eight countries and regions, including Taiwan, and sets up booths at college fairs for students wishing to study abroad.

However, Yasuharu Abe, chief of the university's student recruitment department, said, "We can't compete with prestigious schools from the United States and Europe by simply setting up our booths at college fairs.

"To generate interest in our university among talented students, we must make efforts rarely seen at prestigious US and European universities," he added.

In addition to contending with overseas schools in the scramble for students, competition among Japanese universities has also intensified due to the chronically low birthrate.

The number of applicants for entrance exams at state-run and public universities dropped to about 495,000 this year, compared to about 620,000 when the National Center for University Entrance Exams began administering uniform preparatory tests in 1990.

Some universities have already been forced to suspend enrollment activities for new students.

Nearly 50 state-run and other publicly operated universities have merged in the past decade, mainly in areas outside major cities.

The mergers were primarily aimed at ensuring the universities continue to play a key role in fostering human resources for their respective regions.

There also have been nationwide moves to form consortiums to jointly undertake tasks such as developing human resources and utilizing the characteristics of each region in research activities.

The Iwate High-Education Consortium, which comprises five universities in Iwate Prefecture, will transmit the schools' liberal arts programs and other courses to three high schools in the coastal cities of Kuji, Ofunato and Kamaishi via a video-conferencing system from April.

Emphasize Japan's strengths

Iwate Prefecture is faced with the task of boosting the prefecture's university enrollment rates, which have been lower than the national average.

The five-university consortium is aimed at helping increase the enrollment rate of high school graduates in coastal area schools within the prefecture, to develop human resources conducive to facilitating reconstruction projects related to the March 11 disaster.

Iwate University Vice President Yoshihito Takahata stressed he wanted to see many high school students and graduates interested in the affairs of disaster-hit areas' local communities.

In addition to these measures, the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda created the Council on Promotion of Human Resources for Globalization Development in February to promote the "development of human resources capable of playing a role on the global stage."

It will conduct studies about what should be done to secure competent, academically talented human resources to address global problems.

Prof. Narasaka of Nanyang Technological University said, "Japan pursues a high level of basic research activities, and we must hammer out a well-defined strategy to draw highly talented people from overseas that uses these basic research projects."

Success in tackling this challenge will be of crucial significance as Japan carves out its future at the local and national level.

http://www.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne%2BNews/Asia/Story/A1Story20120412-339244/3.html

Creative use of land / Attracting foreign talent to nation's universities

The Yomiuri Shimbun's "Revitalizing Japan" series has been focusing on how to rebuild the country from the Great East Japan Earthquake. In the previous section, we looked at how individual regions' growth through their unique characteristics could lead to reconstruction of the entire country.

The following is the first installment in the second section of the "Creative use of land" part of a series of articles examining ways to restore Japan's vitality after the March 11, 2011, disaster. This section will examine how to secure talented human resources for the development of regions--and the nation.

Shenzhen Virtual University Park, a research institute in Shenzhen, is drawing an increasing amount of attention as the supply source for talented human resources in the rapidly developing, southern Chinese city with a population of 14 million.

The "virtual" institution, which was established in 1999, comprises offices and laboratories for more than 50 domestic and international universities, including prestigious universities such as Peking University and Tsinghua University.

In Shenzhen, which used to be a fishing village with a population of 30,000 before it was designated as a special economic zone, the supply of human resources has always been a weakness.

"The city would be unable to continue its development just because it's a special economic zone unless it can secure excellent human resources," said Zhang Keke, deputy director of Shenzhen-Hong Kong Institution, as he recalled the sense of urgency he felt at the time. Zhang had worked hard to open the university park.

Building a university that was attractive to highly capable students and researchers from scratch would require a tremendously long period of time.

Therefore, Zhang came up with the idea of putting together campuses that were extensions of top-level domestic universities. At the same time, he encouraged exchanges between participating universities and local businesses so the project could contribute to the city's industrial development.

"The school can attract talented human resources because top-level universities have established campuses there," said Tetsuya Miki, special adviser to the president of The University of Electro-Communications, a Japanese university that joined the project.

More than 140,000 students have studied at the university park. Exchanges between the university park, local government and businesses have helped establish human connections and networks for fund provisions.

As a result, more than 700 companies have been established by the institutes' graduates with the school's support. According to data released by the Chinese government in February, Shenzhen topped the list of Chinese cities in terms of the number of applications for international patents for the eighth consecutive year in 2011.

As economic globalization intensifies competition among not only countries, but also cities, an increasing rivalry has sprung up to win talented human resources. Countries and cities must now make maximum use of their knowledge and expertise to attract and secure qualified people.

Singapore, which is about the same size as the total combined area of Tokyo's 23 wards, has made its presence felt globally thanks to its economic development. The country clearly presents its goals based on its national strategies and continues efforts to attract qualified workers.

Biopolis, an international research and development center for medical services and biotechnology, was established in Singapore in 2003. About 2,000 researchers from 60 countries now fiercely compete to lead the race for state-of-the-art research and development projects.

Benjamin Seet, executive director of the Biomedical Research Council at Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research, said attracting qualified human resources was of paramount importance. "We must lure top-level scientists to us from both home and abroad," Seet said.

Aiming to establish its status as a global research center in biotechnology, Singapore has strived to nurture its human resources at home and bring over foreign researchers as part of its national strategy.

The number of researchers working in Singaporean public institutions and the private sector almost doubled from a decade earlier to 28,300 in 2010. The concentration of advanced research in the country produced a virtuous cycle, resulting in increased foreign investment.

Koichi Narasaka, who began teaching at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University as a visiting professor after retiring from the University of Tokyo, praised Singapore's policy.

"The Singaporean government has a clear principle of linking research results with business," he said.

When applying for research grants from public organizations and universities in Singapore, one must answer the following question: What kind of benefit will your research bring to the country?

Once criticized for their conformity, a number of Japanese universities are now pursuing innovative efforts to attract competent students and faculty members.

On Feb. 27, a special seminar was held in Bangalore, a southern Indian city known for its focus on information technology, to commemorate the launch of the University of Tokyo's Indian office.

Until recently, universities in the United States and Britain were the overwhelmingly popular choice among Indian students wishing to participate in long-term study abroad programs.

Nilesh Vasa, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, said the number of IIT Madras students interested in studying in Japan began to increase five years ago as more Japanese companies expanded production in India.

The University of Tokyo opened an office in Bangalore so it would not miss the chance to draw Indian students to study at its facilities in Japan.

Sushant Kumar, a 21-year-old student, said he developed a strong interest in Japan's advanced technology from how the nation has been recovering from the Great East Japan Earthquake. He also has concerns, however, about studying in Japan, due to his vegetarianism.

"If problems involving foreign students' special dietary needs are solved, this would largely eliminate obstacles to their desire to study in Japan," said Vice President Yoshihito Watanabe of Nagoya University, who attended the seminar.

===

Satisfying foreign students

Watanabe said efforts such as adjusting cafeteria menus at Japanese universities to suit foreign students' tastes will be a key indicator of whether Japanese schools can draw a larger number of foreign researchers and students.

There are about 2,550 foreign students at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Beppu, Oita Prefecture, accounting for 40 percent of the student body, making it one of the leading universities in Japan in terms of foreign enrollment.

The students come from 78 countries and territories, mainly from the Asia-Pacific region, though there are also students from Europe, the Middle East and other regions.

Lectures at the university are conducted in English, and student dormitories are adjacent to the campus to help students feel at ease in daily life. The university has also ensured that students are able to eat meals suited to their regular habits.

Vegetarian food is available at the university's cafeteria, as is halal food for Muslim students who cannot eat pork or drink liquor. According to university officials, cooking equipment used for dishes with pork is not used for preparing halal food. Cafeteria management also check whether seasonings and condiments, such as soy sauce, contain distilled alcohol.

These efforts have helped the university succeed in satisfying its foreign students, leading to an increasing number of applicants from overseas, the officials said.

They also said the university has prioritized creating close relationships with high schools and administrative agencies in foreign countries through the good offices of university graduates and others.

The school has overseas offices in eight countries and regions, including Taiwan, and sets up booths at college fairs for students wishing to study abroad.

However, Yasuharu Abe, chief of the university's student recruitment department, said, "We can't compete with prestigious schools from the United States and Europe by simply setting up our booths at college fairs.

"To generate interest in our university among talented students, we must make efforts rarely seen at prestigious U.S. and European universities," he added.

In addition to contending with overseas schools in the scramble for students, competition among Japanese universities has also intensified due to the chronically low birthrate.

The number of applicants for entrance exams at state-run and public universities dropped to about 495,000 this year, compared to about 620,000 when the National Center for University Entrance Exams began administering uniform preparatory tests in 1990.

Some universities have already been forced to suspend enrollment activities for new students.

Nearly 50 state-run and other publicly operated universities have merged in the past decade, mainly in areas outside major cities. The mergers were primarily aimed at ensuring the universities continue to play a key role in fostering human resources for their respective regions.

There also have been nationwide moves to form consortiums to jointly undertake tasks such as developing human resources and utilizing the characteristics of each region in research activities.

The Iwate High-Education Consortium, which comprises five universities in Iwate Prefecture, will transmit the schools' liberal arts programs and other courses to three high schools in the coastal cities of Kuji, Ofunato and Kamaishi via a video-conferencing system from April.

===

Emphasize Japan's strengths

Iwate Prefecture is faced with the task of boosting the prefecture's university enrollment rates, which have been lower than the national average.

The five-university consortium is aimed at helping increase the enrollment rate of high school graduates in coastal area schools within the prefecture, to develop human resources conducive to facilitating reconstruction projects related to the March 11 disaster.

Iwate University Vice President Yoshihito Takahata stressed he wanted to see many high school students and graduates interested in the affairs of disaster-hit areas' local communities.

In addition to these measures, the administration of Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda created the Council on Promotion of Human Resources for Globalization Development in February to promote the "development of human resources capable of playing a role on the global stage." It will conduct studies about what should be done to secure competent, academically talented human resources to address global problems.

Prof. Narasaka of Nanyang Technological University said, "Japan pursues a high level of basic research activities, and we must hammer out a well-defined strategy to draw highly talented people from overseas that uses these basic research projects."

Success in tackling this challenge will be of crucial significance as Japan carves out its future at the local and national level.
(Apr. 12, 2012)

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120411005540.htm

23 Japanese institutions to join education expo

Twenty-three Japanese universities and language schools will take part in the international education conference and exhibition to get under way April 17-20 at the Riyadh International Exhibition Center under the auspices of the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education.

“The participation of 16 Japanese universities and seven language schools will give them the opportunity to show the high-quality of education provided to students in Japan,” Yukiko Constantinescu, cultural section head from the Japanese Embassy, told Arab News yesterday.

She added that it would also give them a first-hand glimpse of Saudi culture so they could understand better the 480 Saudi students currently in Japan taking up different courses in various universities there.

“They are pursuing courses in engineering and business which Japanese universities are strong in, but some are taking up Master's and doctorate degrees,” Constantinescu said.

She clarified that under the King Abdullah Scholarship Program, Saudi students study the Japanese language before taking up a BA degree but others studying on their own or under scholarship from the Japanese government are not required to.

The 18 universities include the Kyoto University, Matsumoto Dental University, Nagoya University, Nagoya University of Commerce & Business, Nippon Institute of Technology, Okayama University, Osaka Institute of Technology, Osaka University, Shibaura Institute of Technology, Takushoku University, The University of Tokyo, Tohoku University, Tokai University, Tokyo International University, Tokyo University of Technology and Waseda University.

The seven Japanese language schools comprise Edo Cultural Center, Ehle Institute, Kokusho Japanese Language School, Osaka Japanese Language Education Center, Sendagaya Japanese Institute, Shinjuku Japanese Language Institute, and Urawa International Education Center.

Constantinescu said each of these universities and Japanese language institutes would have three to four representatives who will obtain a closer glimpse of Saudi Arabia.

“Participation in the education exhibition will also be a good opportunity to know more about Saudi Arabia. Many Japanese don't have much knowledge about Saudi Arabia. They think the Kingdom is known only as a leading oil producer and exporter which is quite the contrary. There's much to know about the Kingdom,” Constantinescu said.

She also mentioned their participation will also strengthen further existing bilateral ties.

“The bilateral ties binding the two countries have been excellent as could be gleaned from the visits of Japanese officials to Saudi Arabia and Saudi dignitaries to Japan,” she said.

She said Minister of Economy and Planning Mohamed Al-Jasser, Minister of Commerce and Industry Tawfiq Al-Rabiah and Dr. Hashim Yamani, president of the King Abdullah City for Atomic and Renewable Energy, visited Japan to participate in the Japanese-Saudi Business Economic Forum last February.

On the other hand, Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba paid a visit to the Kingdom last January, she added.

Constantinescu said bilateral trade volume between the two countries touched SR165 billion. Japan imported SR135 billion worth of oil and oil products from the Kingdom while its exports, mainly automobiles and mechanical equipment, crossed SR30 billion.

http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article607649.ece

K-Conference: China unveils anti-fraud drive

China’s biggest agency association, the Beijing Overseas Study Service Association (BOSSA), is to launch an online application form for clients applying to Korean institutions to circumvent fraudulent Chinese agents. The move, announced at last weekend’s inaugural K Conference in Korea, could help maintain healthy flows of students between the two markets, and if successful be extended to other countries.

“We will work with a number of Korean university partners, putting information about them on our website and creating an online application system,” BOSSA’s executive vice president Xuewen E said of the proposed scheme.

“Chinese students wishing to study in Korea will first come to our site, log onto our system, then make their choice… We will help them to identify a suitable agent and monitor the whole application process.”

Xuewen added, “If anything goes wrong we can easily spot it and correct it.” Around 57,000 Chinese studied in Korea in 2010 – representing 68% of Korea’s international student population.

Xuewen was one of number of high profile figures to attend the K Conference in Seoul, which brought educators and agents together from both the West and Asia — a response to growing desire in Asia to attract, as well as export international students.

Korean universities, service providers and language schools (such as Yonsei University and Incheon English Village); leading foreign educators such as St Giles and STS; and industry bodies such as ICEF and English UK all took part in three-day event.

“Asia has become the biggest global exporting source of students and should hold more leverage in the field”

Agent associations from across Asia were also out in force – notably the Korea Overseas Study Association (KOSA), BOSSA and Japan Association of Overseas Studies (JAOS). They represent Asia’s top three markets but have never appeared at an industry event together.

“Asia has become the biggest global exporting source of students and should therefore hold more leverage in the field,” said Sang Penn, president of BOSSA, at the conference. “We are gathering here today to explore and discuss issues of common interest. We’ll also be able to share our best practices and collaborate with our Asian neighbours to improve study abroad services for students both in and beyond this region.”

Speakers exploring the theme on the first day of workshop talks included Masaru Yamada, chairman of JAOS and FELCA (the Federation of Education and Language Consultant Associations). He stressed the importance of agency associations with binding standards in winning universities’ trust and boosting inter-regional recruitment.

Johan Asplund, managing director of Sweden’s biggest agency, Blueberry (which has sent 2,000 Swedes to Asia) discussed using Asian youth culture to market Asian universities in Europe. “Culture is the primary reason for most Swedish students to study in Asia,” he said, referencing movements such as K-Pop and Anime. “To really experience and understand it they must live in the country and learn the language.”

“So many associations gathering here is a great starting point”

Conference organiser and vice president of FELCA, Giljun Yang, said he was pleased with the event and that next year’s conference would be held in JeJu island, one of Korea’s most popular tourist resorts.

“Normally Asian countries have sent students to North America and Europe but they are starting to think about having students themselves,” he said. “We’re at the beginning of the journey, but having so many associations gathering here to discuss how to promote the Asian education system to the world is a great starting point.”

http://thepienews.com/news/k-conference-china-unveils-anti-fraud-drive/

Money to study abroad

To combat the decline in Japanese students studying abroad, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is finally taking action. Special five-year grants of ¥100 million to ¥200 million will be offered to 40 universities for study abroad programs. These grants are a welcome step forward with far-reaching benefits. The education ministry seems to have got the right idea with practical steps for implementation.

Japanese students' exposure to other cultures, languages and experiences has steadily decreased in recent years. The number of Japanese college students studying abroad declined by 28 percent, from 82,000 in 2004 to 59,000 in 2009.

During the same period, the number of students from South Korea, China and India studying abroad more than doubled, according to the Institute of International Education, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization promoting international exchange. Unless this trend is reversed, Japan's international competitiveness and awareness of other countries and cultures will continue to suffer.

To ensure the new grants are effective, universities need to do the basics of simplifying paperwork, expanding advisory centers and stepping up language instruction. They also need to undertake the more difficult work of moving their curricula, course content and pedagogical approaches in international directions. Students need more than higher TOEFL scores; they need a vision of their future in which global experience is more central. With the right attitude and sufficient support, a year studying abroad will be more than a fun getaway; it will be a life-changing experience.

Companies can help, too, by changing their hiring procedures. Many students stay in Japan out of fear of falling behind in job hunting. Many companies give the impression that students who veer outside the lockstep series of briefings, entry sheets, interviews and tests by going abroad will not be suited to the Japanese workplace. Studying abroad should be considered an advantage in job hunting, not a liability. If companies made it known that they were actively hiring students with experience abroad, every seat out of Narita airport would be booked.

For their part, today's students need to develop a spirit of adventure. The reasons why students do not study abroad are more than just being introspective or apathetic. Many are terrified at tangling with another culture or losing their Japanese-ness. Overcoming these fears and becoming bold enough to take charge of their own lives is not easy.

The education ministry's new measure is a project that will determine the future of Japan. All members of society should support this initiative and help make it the norm.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/ed20120401a1.html?

Vocational students seek jobs in Japan

Hundreds of vocational students in Greater Jakarta are looking for opportunities to work overseas, and Japan is one of the countries they are targeting.

“They are prepared to work when they complete their education,” Japan Foundation chief program officer Apin Supinah said on the sidelines of a talk show event in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

At the talk show, about 130 students from 30 vocational high schools discussed job opportunities in Japan in the hospitality, tourism, automotive and engineering sectors. “The students were more interested in the automotive and engineering sectors,” Apin said.

The Japan Foundation has held the talk show annually since 2003 to promote the study of Japanese to high school and vocational high school students. “We are showing the students real experiences that they will face by the time they graduate. The schools provide them with theories; but we teach what their schools do not.”

Earlier this month, the foundation invited officials of the Japanese Embassy to discuss opportunities
to study in Japan with students of local high schools and Islamic boarding schools.

“We expect that after joining the discussion and talk show, the students will realize the importance of studying the Japanese language. It will add to their value when they apply for work,” Apin said.

A participant at Wednesday’s talk show, Ridho Epopratama, 16, a first-grade student at SMK PGRI Rawa Lembo, Bekasi, said that the talk show motivated him and other participants to better study Japanese language and culture for their own benefits. “It was so motivational. I have learned a lot about the Japanese language and culture. I hope I can be as disciplined as Japanese people are,” Ridho said.

He said that after completing his education at his vocational high school, he wanted to look for a job in Japan or work for a Japanese company operating in Indonesia.

Speaker Ignatius Hotman said at the talk show that language skills were required for working in multinational companies.

“Vocational high school graduates need at least three basic skills: foreign language, information technology and basic knowledge, in order to compete with other job seekers,” he said. (riz)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03/31/vocational-students-seek-jobs-japan.html

12 universities to launch forum on fall enrollment

Twelve leading universities have agreed to establish a forum of their presidents to discuss switching the start of the academic year to fall to conform with educational institutions overseas, the University of Tokyo said Thursday.








One of the university's seven executive vice presidents, Takao Shimizu, made the announcement during a news conference to unveil the final report by an in-house panel on switching the start of its academic year from spring to fall.

Among the 12 are 10 national universities — the University of Tokyo, Hokkaido University, Tohoku University, the University of Tsukuba, Hitotsubashi University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, known as Tokyo Tech, Nagoya University, Kyoto University, Osaka University and Kyushu University.

The other two — Waseda University and Keio University — are private.

The panel said it filed the final report with Junichi Hamada, president of the University of Tokyo.

In the report, the panel called for studies on implementing fall enrollment and establishing a fresh scholarship system for students affected by the change.

The panel called for cooperating with other universities to achieve the change, noting the need to prepare activities for students during the six months between graduation from high school in March and enrollment in universities in September.

It also noted the need to review various national examinations.

The panel said there would be many difficulties for a single university to switch to fall enrollment and urged the University of Tokyo not to jump to a hasty conclusion.

The school plans to set up a formal in-house council for full-fledged discussions on whether to make the switch.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120330a8.html

Vocational students learn about working in Japan

Hundreds of students from across Greater Jakarta participated in a talk show touting Japanese language study and working in Japan on Wednesday.

“They are prepared to work when they complete their education,” Japan Foundation chief program officer Apin Supinah said on the sidelines of the talk show event in South Jakarta on Wednesday.

At the talk show, more than 130 students from 30 vocational high schools discussed jobs in Japan in the hospitality, tourism and engineering sectors.

“The students were more interested in engineering and mechanics,” Apin said.

The Japan Foundation has held the talk show annually since 2003 to promote the study of Japanese to high school and vocational high school students.

“We are showing the students about the real experiences that they will face by the time they graduate. The schools provide them with theory; we are teaching what their schools do not,” Apin said.

Earlier this month, the foundation invited the Japanese embassy to discuss opportunities to study in Japan with students of local high schools and Islamic boarding schools. (riz)

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03/28/vocational-students-learn-about-working-japan.html

PHILADELPHIA based university's Japan campus rebounds after quake

Study-abroad enrollment at Temple University's campus in Tokyo is rebounding from dips seen in the year after a massive earthquake and tsunami ravaged parts of Japan, according to school officials.

Just over a year ago, Temple Japan was facing the most frantic days in its history following the magnitude-9.0 quake, deadly tidal wave and nuclear reactor meltdown. The disaster on March 11, 2011, killed more than 19,000 people and forced hundreds of thousands into temporary housing.

While the campus is about 230 miles from the devastation, the events severely jolted students and staff, both physically and mentally. Temple Japan dean Bruce Stronach described weeks of high-stress days filled with powerful aftershocks, logistical challenges and countless middle-of-the-night calls with officials at the university's main campus in Philadelphia, which is 13 hours behind Tokyo.

"You really get to see what other people are made of," Stronach said. "The people who go through it with you, you bond with in a way that you wouldn't ordinarily."

Temple opened its Japan campus in 1982, making it the oldest and largest foreign university in Japan. It now serves about 3,400 students, including study abroad, corporate education, local Japanese and "direct admits" — students from about 60 nations who apply specifically to that campus for various degree programs.

Though Temple's facilities were found to be structurally sound after the quake, classes were temporarily canceled. Stronach said some students, staff and faculty left Japan for their home countries. Study-abroad programs were canceled after the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning for Japan due to radiation concerns.

The university worked feverishly to help all students finish the semester wherever they chose, including at other institutions or through online coursework.

Erik Jacobs, 21, was among the study-abroad students who returned to Temple in Philadelphia. The junior political science major from Chambersburg, Pa., got to spend only about two months in Tokyo, but said the abbreviated experience ultimately "expanded and invigorated" his interest in the culture. He is grateful to be unhurt and plans to return.

"I consider myself very fortunate (that) all I lost was a month to study in Japan," Jacobs said.

All told, Temple Japan suspended academic programs for about three weeks. Yet courses ended up being completed with only a one-week extension of the semester. The annual commencement ceremony, with 270 graduates, was held as originally scheduled.

But the disaster occurred during the recruiting season for study-abroad, timing that Stronach described as "a double-whammy." Last fall — about six months after the crisis known in Japan as 3/11 — the number of study-abroad students on campus dropped by about half, from 63 to 32.

Those numbers are beginning to rebound. The campus is currently hosting 44 study-abroad students, compared with 69 last spring when the crisis hit, Temple officials said. The numbers for summer study-abroad look to be higher than pre-quake levels.

The newest challenge is the strong yen, which Stronach said makes Temple Japan expensive for direct-admit students coming from outside the country. Tuition currently is about $17,400 per year.

But Stronach said new recruitment strategies seem to be helping. Enrollment last fall was down 16 percent from fall 2009, a decline that could also be partly quake-related. This summer's figure is expected to be nearly the same as summer 2010, which preceded the disaster, he said.

Overall, the number of American students studying in Japan has more than doubled to nearly 6,200 in the decade ending 2009-10, according to the U.S.-based Institute of International Education. Those pre-quake statistics are the most recent available.

"Students don't spin the globe and randomly come to Japan," Kyle Cleveland, an associate professor of sociology at Temple in Tokyo, wrote in an email. "They would not be here if they did not have genuine interest and in many cases, a long-term commitment to learning about the culture."

Desmon Hickson, a 20-year-old computer engineering major from Baltimore, wrote in an email last fall that he's glad he went to Temple Japan, despite initial fears about the lingering effects from 3/11.

"People know it happened and still acknowledge and understand and are supportive of the (victims), but life seems to be going on normally," Hickson wrote.

And as Temple Japan marks its 30th anniversary this year, university officials in Philadelphia described the campus as a linchpin of the school's commitment to produce globally competent students and to help faculty engage in teaching and research on worldwide issues.

"Looking ahead, our hope is to provide — in collaboration with the Japanese government — a model of international educational partnership and innovative global learning for those students who wish to avail themselves of an American-style education in Tokyo," Provost Richard M. Englert said in a statement.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765561225/Pa-universitys-Japan-campus-rebounds-after-quake.html?pg=2

Japan keen on Indian students

BANGALORE: All of 100,000 Chinese students in Japan, but less than 600 Indian students there. Against the 1,000-odd Chinese students at the University of Tokyo, just 35 are from India. But around 1 lakh Indian students are in the US every year.

Clearly, the number of Indian students to Japan is nothing when compared to China. This explains why the University of Tokyo has decided to set shop in India and open doors, via the varsity, to the whole of Japan. On Monday, the university's India office was launched on MG Road.

The office was inaugurated by Prof Akihiko Tanaka, university vice-president, in the presence of Infosys chairman emeritus NR Narayana Murthy who has been made member of the president's council of the university. Also present was Japan minister for education, culture, sports & science and technology.

"The university hopes to create awareness on opportunities available at Tokyo University, as well as 13 other Japanese universities. We would like to see an increase in the number of applications from India. Bangalore office will also act as the liaison office for the 13 other universities and the 'G30 Study in Japan' initiative by the Japan government," said Tanaka.

"Under the G30 initiative, core universities have been identified which offer programs in English, both at undergraduate and graduate levels. We are focused on attracting Indian students to look at Japan as an education destination," said Tanaka.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/12063654.cms

Infosys' Murthy pitches for Indians to study in Japan

Bangalore : Global software major Infosys chairman emeritus N.R. Narayana Murthy Monday exhorted Indian students to study in Japanese universities, especially in the University of Tokyo, as it is not only 50 percent cheaper than in the US, but also provides an opportunity to better career prospects.

"I urge young Indians to explore Japan for higher education as it has one of the world's best technology and research institutes. One should seize the opportunity to study in Japan as its universities are at our doorstep inviting our youngsters to make best use of the facilities and financial assistance," Murthy told reporters at the unveiling of the University of Tokyo's India office here.

Asserting that studying in Japan makes economic and academic sense, Murthy said at $10,000 per year an Indian student would be able to pursue higher education in contrast to paying about $20,000 per annum for studying in an American university, excluding boarding and lodging expenses.

"About 100,000 young Indians go abroad every year in pursuit of higher education, with over 75,000 of them to the US alone, while the remaining students go to Britain, Europe and Australia. Academically, the 135-year-old University of Tokyo is ranked seventh in the world and Japan is the second most innovative country after the US," Murthy pointed out.

The 65-year-old Murthy is a member of the University of Tokyo's president's council.

"The University of Tokyo has been selected to be the flag-bearer of the Japanese government's initiative to make studying in Japan as an attractive option to Indian students because of its stature and its students playing a seminal role in the success of Japan as the world's third largest economy," Murthy observed.

Noting that India and Japan have been sharing a close relationship over the past six decades in diverse areas, Murthy said the future looked bright for the two Asian countries with various academic and business collaborations on the anvil.

Echoing Murthy's call, University of Tokyo alumni association chairman Shrikrishna Kulkarni said studying in Japan would give Indian students an opportunity to imbibe the spirit of innovation, absorb its extraordinary culture and learn its language.

"It's high time Indian students started looking Far East and make Japan a preferred destination for higher education, including research and job opportunities to work in Japanese firms in India or Japan and live in its famous and safest cities such as Tokyo and Osaka," Kulkarni added.

http://twocircles.net/2012feb27/infosys_murthy_pitches_indians_study_japan.html

Japan Falls in Love with Oxford English Apps

On February 14, English language learning apps featuring Alice in Wonderland and Sherlock Holmes took the top slots on Japan’s App Store in the education segment. Since then, they have also taken the #1 spot overall for both iPad and iPhone categories.
These apps, based on 30 stories from the Oxford Bookworms graded reader series, help learners improve their English. Classics Phantom of the Opera, The Wizard of Oz, The Jungle Book, Pride and Prejudice and Gulliver’s Travels are among the selected titles. Using the apps, learners can read and listen to the story, view full-color illustrations and test vocabulary using interactive quizzes. Narrated by native-speaking actors, the apps allow learners to bookmark their progress, check meaning of highlighted words and scroll the glossary to check for words.
Available for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, the apps were developed by Tokyo-based software developer iEnglish (a division of language-learning company eigoTown.com) and Oxford University Press (OUP). The collaboration is aimed at fulfilling learners’ educational needs and their desire to use current technologies.

In Japan, the localized apps go for 600 yen (or $7.55) each but four titles—Alice in Wonderland, Sherlock Holmes, Aladdin and Anne of Green Gables—were specially marked down to 85 yen ($1.00) for Valentine’s Day. “We set out to play cupid to bring English and Japan together on this romantic day. And we now know this much is true: Japan loves English,” said Russell Willis, president of iEnglish and founder of eigoTown.com. “With an iEnglish-developed app being bought every 30 seconds in Japan right now and its current chart domination, it looks like the love for English classics runs deep among Japanese.”

For Sorrell Pitts, editorial manager of OUP’s graded readers, the apps “bring together the quality of our Bookworms series with iEnglish’s expertise in developing materials for mobile devices. Together, we have exploited the opportunity an app presents to give learners of English full and easy access to reading and listening to great stories, and learning whenever they want.” (OUP is the first English Language Teaching publisher to offer graded reader apps.)

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/digital/Apps/article/50725-japan-falls-in-love-with-oxford-english-apps.html

40% of universities mull shifting academic year

More than 40 percent of the national universities are warming to the University of Tokyo plan to shift the start of the undergraduate academic year from spring to fall, a survey found.



Major private institutions, including Waseda University, Keio University and Ritsumeikan University, have also shown willingness to ponder the move, which a University of Tokyo panel recently advocated to bring the system in sync with international norms.

The survey, conducted by Kyodo News between Monday and Wednesday, covered the presidents of all 81 national universities except the University of Tokyo and graduate schools unaffiliated with universities, as well as 12 major private universities. The response rate was 100 percent.

The University of Tokyo, known locally as Todai, has called on nine other national universities, including Kyoto University and Hokkaido University, as well as Waseda and Keio, join it in shifting the academic year and said it will set up an organ in April to facilitate coordination.

Of those 11 universities, only Kyoto did not express a willingness to participate, making it highly likely that coordination will start in April.

Kyoto University did not answer the survey questions directly and only said it would review the timing of enrollment together with ways to conduct its admission examinations.

Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda welcomed the University of Tokyo's initiative at a government meeting Wednesday.

"It's a praiseworthy move from the viewpoint of nurturing talent that will be competitive globally," Noda said. He said he would continue to discuss the issue with the government and the private sector.

According to the survey, 35 of the 81 national universities are ready to consider making the switch because it might help increase enrollment of international students and encourage more Japanese to study abroad.

But only 11 national universities have expressed clear approval of the idea at this point.

Many universities said they are concerned about possible discrepancies in the timing for job recruitment and entrance examinations, given that spring is traditionally the season when the new academic, business and fiscal years begin.

Observers say cooperation from both the government and the business community would be required for the transition to succeed, leaving it uncertain how widely the Todai initiative will spread.

Of the 35 universities ready to consider the move, 13 including Fukushima University and Kyushu University said a full transition to the fall is desirable.

Another 13 universities are against switching, including Miyagi University of Education, Nara University of Education, Shiga University and the University of the Ryukyus.


http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120127a6.html

Japan’s Harvard Mulls Radical Calendar Change

One of Tokyo University’s self-proclaimed goals is to raise “tough students” ready to take on the world. But to do so, Asia’s highest-ranked university is becoming increasingly convinced it will have to take drastic measures – changing its academic calendar to a fall start date.


An internal preliminary report released by the university Friday found that the prestigious institution, like much of Japan Inc., must globalize to remain competitive. The national university’s position fell four spots to No. 30 in 2011 in the Times Higher Education world university rankings compared with the previous year, once again dragged down by dismal marks in “international outlook.”

The university first proposed the idea of changing its calendar last summer.

In an effort to become more globally friendly, the university wants to encourage its students to study abroad as well as make the Tokyo school an attractive destination for overseas disciples of higher learning. The problem is a timing issue, as Japan’s academic calendar is out of sync with the rest of the world. Students in Japan start their school year in April, while the back-to-school season kicks off in the fall in about 70% of 215 countries studied, according to the report. The scheduling difference has made it difficult for Japanese students to find international programs that don’t cut into the middle of their semesters back home and vice versa.

The consequence of the temporal mismatch is apparent: the report says only 0.4% of Tokyo University’s 13,250 students were studying abroad as of last May. At this rate, the report concludes, “the aim to ‘have all (Tokyo University) students experience study abroad or conduct research overseas by 2015’ is not one whose achievement is within sight.” Meanwhile, about 270,604 U.S. students studied abroad for academic credit in the 2009-2010 school year, nearly a 4% increase from the previous year, according to the Institute of International Education annual report released last November. But just 2.3% of those students opted to study in Japan – the same percentage that chose Costa Rica.

So the next figure shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: exchange students made up just 1.9% of undergraduates at the school. The panel’s report says “we cannot help but worry about whether the university can maintain its prowess and presence” in the face of stiff global competition. Tokyo University was the highest-ranked school in Asia in the aforementioned Times Higher Education annual report, but regional schools like the University of Hong Kong and the National University of Singapore are close on its heels and score much higher on the category that is Tokyo’s biggest weakness — international outlook.

But to move the start date would mean to jostle an entire system that’s been firmly bolted down for decades. Japan’s academic year is tied to the timing of entrance exams and, more importantly, the fixed recruitment schedule. Pushing the school year to start by about half a year later would mean fresh graduates would be in limbo for many months before suiting up for work.

The move would mark a significant change in Japan – and it is one that perhaps can be spearheaded only by Tokyo University, which has produced 15 Japanese prime ministers. The school’s name, commonly shortened to “Todai,” carries impressive weight in Japan, giving its graduates’ resumes a reverent glow during job applications and self-introductions. Todai’s proposal has spurred other universities to mull the calendar shift. Kyushu University said this week it would establish an in-house panel next month to begin deliberating the issue, according to Japanese daily Yomiuri Shinbun.

The good news is that Japanese students want to go abroad, if given the chance. A university survey cited in Todai’s report on Friday showed 35% of students said they definitely want to go abroad and another 58% said they wished they had opportunities to participate in study-abroad programs.

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2012/01/20/japans-harvard-mulls-radical-calendar-change/