Abstract
The globalization of higher education (HE) is having a significant impact on tertiary institutions throughout the world. Considerable growth in demand for HE is expected, but this will be accompanied by increasing competition for students among institutions, as well as among countries. In contrast to its economic impact on the world, the global influence of Japan’s HE system has been relatively small. In the face of this, Japanese institutions are actively seeking to boost their profiles internationally. To some extent, these efforts can be tied to government concerns about Japan’s role in the world, but they are also connected to a significant problem for Japanese HE, that of a steadily declining population of domestic college-age students. This problem is particularly acute in regional areas, where the population declines are most marked. This chapter will provide an overview of recent trends in Japanese HE, and will then outline the unique challenges faced by regional institutions. The issues discussed will be illustrated by a description of one regional university’s efforts to boost its international profile, the Hokkaido University of Education (HUE).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Administrative Reform Council (Gyousei Kaikaku Kaigi). (1997). Saishu houkoku (Final Report). Retrieved May 30, 2008, from http://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/gyokaku/report-final/
Aoki, K. (2005). Japanese higher education in the 21st century. Electronic Journal of Contemporary Japanese Studies. Retrieved May 22, 2008, from http://www.japanesestudies.org.uk/ discussionpapers/2005/Aoki.html
Brody, W. R. (2007). College goes global. Foreign Affairs, 86(2), 122–133.
Daniel, J. (2007a, March). The status of global postsecondary education. Speech given at the Whitney International University System Advisory Board, Dallas, TX.
Daniel, J. (2007b, July). Does American education have a global future? Paper presented at the meeting of the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, Summer Conference, Vancouver, Canada.
Daniel, J., Kanwar, A., & Uvalic-Trumbic, S. (2006). A tectonic shift in global higher education. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 38(4), 16–23.
Goldfinch, S. (2006). Rituals of reform, policy transfer, and the National University Corporation reforms of Japan. Governance, 19(4), 585–604.
Hatan fusege: Shidai wo shinan, keiei shindan, kuni mo tekoire [Preventing bankruptcy: Government to provide instructions and managerial support to private universities]. (2008, January 21). Asahi Shimbun, p. 31.
Hirsch, F. (1976). Social limits to growth. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Hokkaido University of Education. (2007). 2007 Regional education collaboration project. Retrieved June 15, 2008, from http://www.hokkyodai.ac.jp/english/pdf/h19-expenses.pdf
Huang, F. (2006). Assuring and enhancing educational quality in universities: A perspective from Japan. Higher Education Policy, 19(3), 343–360.
Japan Personnel Management & Safety Information Center. (2008). Heisei 17 nen chingin: Todoufuken-betsu nenshuu hikakuhyou. [2005 annual income comparison table classified by prefecture]. Retrieved May 14, 2008, from http://labor.tank.jp/wwwsiryou/messages/206.html
Kokuritsu daigaku no koufukin: Chihou daigaku, kirisute no kiki ni [Budget allocations for national universities: Regional universities at risk of being cut off]. (2007, June 22). Asahi Shimbun, p. 30.
Marginson, S. (2006). Dynamics of national and global competition in higher education. Higher Education, 52(1), 1–39.
MEXT. (2003). Action plan to cultivate ‘‘Japanese with English abilities.’’ Retrieved May 23, 2008, from http://www.mext.go.jp/english/topics/03072801.htm
MEXT. (2007). Waga kuni no ryuugakusei seido no gaiyou: ukeire oyobi haken [Outline of the student exchange system in Japan]. Retrieved June 10, 2008, from http://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/koutou/ryugaku/07062723.htm
Monbusho (Ministry of Education). (1983). Niju-isseiki he no ryugakusei seisaku ni kansuru teigen [Recommendations regarding Foreign Student Policy for the 21st Century]. Tokyo: Author.
Panel Seeks Ways to Boost Foreign Students. (2008, May 18). Daily Yomiuri, p. 3.
Special School Established for Harvard Wannabes. (2008, June 1). Daily Yomiuri, p. 3.
Statistical Handbook of Japan. (2007). Retrieved June 5, 2008, from http://www.stat.go.jp/english/data/handbook/c02cont.htm
Stromquist, N. P. (2007). Internationalization as a response to globalization: Radical shifts in university environments. Higher Education, 53(1), 81–105.
Tabata, H. (2005). The incorporation and economic structural reform of Japan’s national universities. Social Science Japan Journal, 8(1), 91–102.
Toyama, A. (2004). University reforms in Japan to usher in century of knowledge. JSPS Quarterly, 9, 2–6.
United Nations. (2006). World population prospects: The 2006 revision. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wpp2006/WPP2006_Highlights_rev.pdf
Vaira, M. (2004). Globalization and higher education organizational change: A framework for analysis. Higher Education, 48(4), 483–510.
Yonezawa, A. (2007). Japanese flagship universities at a crossroads. Higher Education, 54(4), 483–499.
Zenkoku daigaku chousa: Chiiki kouken-do ranking [A Survey of Japanese Universities: Rankings by Level of Contributions to Local Communities]. (2007). Nikkei Glocal, 79, 6–25.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Crawford, M., Field, M.H. (2009). Regional Universities in the Global Market: The Case of HUE. In: Fegan, J., Field, M.H. (eds) Education Across Borders. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9411-8_13
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9411-8_13
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9410-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9411-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawEducation (R0)