Higher education in Japan: A view from outside

摘要: Higher education in Japan is often characterized comparativestudies as considerably expanded, highly stratified, overshadowed bycompetition for admission, not very demanding the masses ofundergraduate students, important awarding credentials, but without closelinks between subjects of study and subsequent professional tasks. Thesecharacteristics have been pointed out so frequently past that thequestion has to be raised whether this picture too old-fashioned toomuch a stereotype. This article echoes previous articles thisspecial issue. The themes addressed by Japanese authors are partlysummarized, partly supplemented challenged foreign observer.Developments notably changes early 1990s analyzed respectto quantitative-structural pattern higher educationssystem; governance financing; access admissions; learning, teachingand research; links educational attainment, credentials career;curricula, competences graduate employment, finally graduateeducation. author draws conclusion efforts directed towardsreforming spread over many issues, among themmany academic issues such new curricular approaches, rather thanfocussing on single major steering, evaluationas one could observe Europe during last ten years or so. Changingsocietal conditions, example growing employment problems, increaseof specialists' career internationalization currently stimulate areconsideration policies various respects.