Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Table of Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Universities in Modern Japan: A Historical Outline
- Chapter 2 From Showa to Heisei: The Formation of Japan’s Contemporary Higher Education System
- Chapter 3 The Heisei Period: Plus Ça Change?
- Chapter 4 National Universities: Autonomy in Their Governance; Ideology and Practice
- Chapter 5 Public Universities: Prefectural, Local Higher Education
- Chapter 6 Private Universities: Diverse and Adaptable
- Chapter 7 Foreign Universities in Japan: Opportunities Taken and Missed
- Chapter 8 The Financing of Higher Education in Japan
- Chapter 9 Undergraduate Admissions: Shifting Trends
- Chapter 10 The Hensachi: Its Dominant Role in University Rankings
- Chapter 11 Self-Assessment: How Japanese University Students Assess Their Learning Outcomes
- Chapter 12 Policies for Hosting International Students: Issues for the Post-300,000 International Students Plan Era
- Chapter 13 Regional Cooperation in East Asia: Shifting Reality
- Chapter 14 International Students: Inbound Mobility at “Elite” and “Mass” Universities
- Chapter 15 Academic Support and Advising: Historical and Contemporary Issues
- Chapter 16 Women’s Universities in Japan: Life Choices
- Chapter 17 Junior Female Academics: Experiences and Challenges
- Chapter 18 Women of Color Leading in Japanese Higher Education
- Chapter 19 International Faculty: Increasing Mobility
- Chapter 20 Research Universities: Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
- Chapter 21 Liberal Arts Education: The Japanese Way
- Chapter 22 The English Language in Japan: A Historical Overview 1809–2020
- Chapter 23 Languages Other Than English: Mysterious Eclipse
- Chapter 24 Critical English Curriculum Enactment: A Policy Planning Perspective
- Chapter 25 The Dawn of Reiwa: Waves, Revolutions and an “A.I. Society”
- Appendix 1 Chronology of Japan
- Appendix 2 Japanese National Universities, by Prefecture
- Appendix 3 Japanese Public Universities, by Region
- Glossary
- Index
Chapter 3 - The Heisei Period: Plus Ça Change?
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 31 May 2023
- Frontmatter
- Table of Contents
- Contributors
- Abbreviations
- Foreword
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Universities in Modern Japan: A Historical Outline
- Chapter 2 From Showa to Heisei: The Formation of Japan’s Contemporary Higher Education System
- Chapter 3 The Heisei Period: Plus Ça Change?
- Chapter 4 National Universities: Autonomy in Their Governance; Ideology and Practice
- Chapter 5 Public Universities: Prefectural, Local Higher Education
- Chapter 6 Private Universities: Diverse and Adaptable
- Chapter 7 Foreign Universities in Japan: Opportunities Taken and Missed
- Chapter 8 The Financing of Higher Education in Japan
- Chapter 9 Undergraduate Admissions: Shifting Trends
- Chapter 10 The Hensachi: Its Dominant Role in University Rankings
- Chapter 11 Self-Assessment: How Japanese University Students Assess Their Learning Outcomes
- Chapter 12 Policies for Hosting International Students: Issues for the Post-300,000 International Students Plan Era
- Chapter 13 Regional Cooperation in East Asia: Shifting Reality
- Chapter 14 International Students: Inbound Mobility at “Elite” and “Mass” Universities
- Chapter 15 Academic Support and Advising: Historical and Contemporary Issues
- Chapter 16 Women’s Universities in Japan: Life Choices
- Chapter 17 Junior Female Academics: Experiences and Challenges
- Chapter 18 Women of Color Leading in Japanese Higher Education
- Chapter 19 International Faculty: Increasing Mobility
- Chapter 20 Research Universities: Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy
- Chapter 21 Liberal Arts Education: The Japanese Way
- Chapter 22 The English Language in Japan: A Historical Overview 1809–2020
- Chapter 23 Languages Other Than English: Mysterious Eclipse
- Chapter 24 Critical English Curriculum Enactment: A Policy Planning Perspective
- Chapter 25 The Dawn of Reiwa: Waves, Revolutions and an “A.I. Society”
- Appendix 1 Chronology of Japan
- Appendix 2 Japanese National Universities, by Prefecture
- Appendix 3 Japanese Public Universities, by Region
- Glossary
- Index
Summary
The Heisei period was one-third shorter than the formative Meiji period, and only half the length of the immediately preceding Showa period. Covering three decades without Japanese involvement in international armed conflict, and in political and economic terms witnessing few major internal upheavals, it may be seen as an easier period to categorize. Natural disasters may be what characterize Japan in the early 21st century: volcanic eruptions, floods and landslides recurred, while in particular the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 (Heisei 23) led to the loss of around 20,000 lives and one nuclear power plant undergoing a meltdown whose after-effects will remain for decades to come. At the time of writing, virtually all university students were born in the Heisei period—indeed in the early years of the 21st century. Thus, this chapter describes what is current experience for the current population of Japan.
Dramatic demographic changes
A comparison of some of the vital statistics of Japanese HE in the first year and last full year of Heisei gives a sense of the dramatic demographic changes which color this period. In 1989 the population of 18-year-olds (the standard age of entrance to HE in Japan) was around 2 million; in 2018 it was less than 1.2 million. In 1989 fewer than 50% of secondary school graduates went on to HE; in 2018 more than 80% did. In 1989 there were 500 universities and 590 junior colleges in Japan; in 2018 these figures had risen and fallen respectively to 780 and 330. One does not need to look far beyond these statistics to identify a number of major structural reforms which were also implemented during Heisei, such as the incorporation of national and municipal HE institutions, the creation of new categories such as professional graduate schools and corporate universities, and the establishment of a mandatory third-party evaluation regime. These changes provide the entry point for this chapter’s analysis of HE in the Heisei period. Ultimately, the chapter advances the idea of Heisei as a period of frustrated reform, in which the changes that did eventuate fell far short of, or deviated considerably from, the kinds of fundamental transformations anticipated in late Showa.
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- Handbook of Higher Education in Japan , pp. 32 - 46Publisher: Amsterdam University PressPrint publication year: 2021