University reform in the post-massification era in Japan: analysis of government education policy for the 21st century

Abstract

Japanese higher education institutions have experienced major reforms in the 1990s. These reforms were voluntarily promoted by the universities, and were aimed at transforming research-oriented faculties, or research centered organizations, to teaching and student centered universities. However, at the turn of the millennium, a new reform movement emerged, more economic centered, more market conscious and more influenced by the policy shift toward deregulation. In the 21st century, Japanese higher education institutions will face retrenchment, post-massification, and globalization. This paper examines government higher education policy and Japanese higher education reform movements in the globalization and post-massification eras. First, issues surrounding Japanese higher education in an era of post-massification will be set out. Secondly, the direction of higher education policy will be examined and compared with the higher education policies of some Western countries. Finally, the impact of the policy shift toward higher education institutions and the existing structural problems around Japanese higher education will be analyzed.