OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education Country Background Report of Japan
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OECD Thematic Review of Tertiary Education Country Background Report of Japan Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology March 2006 Introduction This century has been called the era of the “knowledge-based society”. There is a diversification of roles demanded of tertiary education accompanying the progressing globalisation of society and economy, along with the shift to a universal phase in which the demand for tertiary education is almost met quantitatively. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) established a new education bureau in 2002, highlighting the increasing importance of education in future economic growth. A tertiary education policy review project is being conducted focusing on policies concerned with tertiary education in each nation. In recent years in our nation there have been several reforms, including the incorporation of national universities, increasing flexibility of establishment approvals and the introduction of a certified evaluation system. In the midst of the development of tertiary education, Japan is building capable quality assurance mechanisms. During such periods, it is extremely timely and significant to obtain international assessments on tertiary education, which should make a large contribution to the future development of tertiary education in Japan. For this reason, we decided to participate in the OECD project. For this project, before a national visit is conducted in each country, each country is asked to present reports on their own tertiary education policies based on the guidelines OECD created, citing common frameworks and themes from the viewpoint of facilitating comparisons between countries and ensuring that participating countries have opportunities to learn from each other. This report consists of 11 chapters, with an analysis performed based on a wealth of materials and data from a broad perspective of tertiary education. A variety of contexts are considered, including social and economic circumstances, tertiary education systems, the labour market, regional contributions, research and innovation, social equality, human resources and finances, quality assurance, and internationalisation. In addition, in consideration of the tertiary education policy in Japan, there is also an attempt to clarify the current situations and issues. For the creation of this report, a group composed of persons with experience and learning in a wide range of fields concerned with tertiary education policy was established. A variety of views and perspectives were heard, and opinions exchanged, compiled and organised by the national coordinator of this project, the Director of the Student Services Division at the Higher Education Bureau in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. This report is based on the concepts of the ideals for tertiary education for the “knowledge-based society” in the 21st century. We hope it is helpful for the discussions and exchange of information with other nations. National Coordinator Director, Student Services Division, Higher Education Bureau Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Yoshinori Murata Content Chapter 1 Circumstances Surrounding Tertiary Education............................................1 1.1 Population Transition in Japan .......................................................................................1 1.2 Changes in Japan’s Economic Situation.........................................................................2 1.3 Changes in Japan’s Social Situation................................................................................3 Chapter 2 Outline of the Tertiary Education System ........................................................6 2.1 Goals of the Tertiary Education System .........................................................................6 2.2 Scale of Tertiary Education..............................................................................................8 (1) Trends in the Percentage of Students Proceeding to Tertiary Education.......................8 (2) Current Status by Tertiary Education Institution Type ................................................10 (3) Current Status of Tertiary Education by Discipline......................................................14 (4) Current Status of Tertiary Education by Local Region ................................................15 2.3 Tertiary Education Policy ..............................................................................................17 (1) Tertiary Education Administration ...............................................................................17 (2) Tertiary Education Finances ........................................................................................20 (3) Quality Assurance for Tertiary Education....................................................................22 Chapter 3 The Tertiary Education System and the Labour Market .............................25 3.1 Internal Labour Markets and New Graduates’ Labour Markets...............................25 3.2 Labour Supply and Demand of New Graduates from Tertiary Education Institutes26 3.3 Market Value of Graduates from Tertiary Education Institutions.............................28 3.4 Changes in Contact Points for Labour Markets and Education.................................30 3.5 Effects of International Labour Markets......................................................................32 3.6 Issues and Future Prospects...........................................................................................32 Chapter 4 Roles of Tertiary Education in Regions..........................................................34 4.1 Types and History of Tertiary Education Institutions-In Relation to Local Regions 34 4.2 Recent Changes in the Relation between Tertiary Education and Local Regions.....36 4.3 New Relations between Tertiary Education and Local Regions (Example)...............39 4.4 Issues and Future Prospects...........................................................................................41 Chapter 5 The Role of Tertiary Education in Research and Innovation ....................42 5.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................42 5.2 Balance between Research and Teaching......................................................................42 5.3 Research Funding...........................................................................................................45 5.4 Research Evaluation.......................................................................................................52 5.5 Competition with Other Institutions in Research ........................................................54 5.6 Cooperative Research between Tertiary Education and Industry..............................56 5.7 Stimulation of Knowledge Transfer and Innovation between Researchers and Industry and Development of Policies for Intellectual Property Rights ....................57 5.8 Conclusions .....................................................................................................................61 Chapter 6 Achieving Equity in and through Tertiary Education..................................62 6.1 Context of Equity in Tertiary Education in Japan.......................................................62 (1) Legal Basis ....................................................................................................................62 (2) From Selective Society to Universal Access..................................................................63 6.2 Social and Economic Background.................................................................................66 6.3 Local Regions..................................................................................................................68 6.4 Age ...................................................................................................................................69 6.5 Sexual Discrimination ....................................................................................................70 6.6 Issues and Future Prospects...........................................................................................72 Chapter 7 Resources for Tertiary Education ....................................................................75 7.1 Staff ..................................................................................................................................75 (1) Situation in the Teacher Market ...................................................................................75 (2) Teacher Selection and Salaries .....................................................................................76 (3) Faculty Promotion ........................................................................................................77 (4) Faculty Development ....................................................................................................78 7.2 Finances...........................................................................................................................79 (1) Funding Sources for Tertiary Education......................................................................79 (2) Funding Source Measures by the Government for Tertiary Education.......................81 (3) Changes in Funding Sources for Tertiary Education ..................................................84