Introduction: The Changing Academic Profession in Japan: Its Past and Present

Abstract

At present, universities and higher education are incalculably pressured by social changes, such as emergent knowledge-based societies, globalization and marketization; confronted by national demands for increased international competitivity; and faced by the ever-accelerating rate of scientific growth that requires continuous reconstruction of knowledge. The universities are now facing crisis. It is very clear that both the missions and roles of the academic profession, as a profession, are significant for the inevitable review and reconstruction of the universities. This is a universal phenomenon and the academic profession in Japan provides no exception. The studies included in this volume are directed to a general consideration of the impact of such issues, mainly from the viewpoints of research, social change and university reform, and changes in the academic profession. The academic profession in Japan has traditionally held strong aspirations for research. The Carnegie Survey in 1992 indicated that they could be classified as conforming to a German research-oriented model in company with Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Korea; and that they showed low aspirations for teaching. Reflecting on this, an obligation for faculty to participate in FD, which was semi-regulated in 1988, became a requirement in 2004. By its implementation in graduate courses since 2007 and undergraduate courses since 2008, universities took a step toward a new era. The apparent gradual success of these reforms in raising the level of teaching productivity suggest that the first fundamental change in the 140-year history of the Japanese university system may be being implemented. However, the policy of continuing segmentation of research and teaching remains and has not been clarified by the suggestions about segmentation in the Reports of Council or government policies. This neglect of the principles of scholarship has resulted in social and psychological isolation and anxiety in faculty. When government policies are unable to show a direction of reform, it becomes crucial for faculty to identify an appropriate professional vision independently.