On Nov. 20, the full draft of the final report compiled by the expert panel on the promotion of regional universities (chaired by Masahiro Sakane, Komatsu Ltd. councilor) was announced. To rectify the current situation where there is an overly high concentration of students in Tokyo, the report calls on the government to revitalize regional universities by enacting a new….Read more

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) will start a support program for regional universities that are making advances in world-class research in specific fields in order to retain established researchers in regional universities and attract those from overseas. The government aims to strengthen competitiveness in the area of science and technology by establishing internationally relevant research centers….Read more

TOKYO — Nikkei Inc. and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism agreed Monday to jointly establish a scholarship for Asian journalists and students.   Columbia Journalism School is known for its advanced education using digital technology. It also administers the Pulitzer Prize, which, for the past century, has been awarded for excellence in reporting.   Nikkei and Columbia Journalism School….Read more

By ICHIRO MATSUO/ Correspondent   LONDON–Only two Japanese universities placed in the top 200 of the world rankings announced by the British educational journal Times Higher Education.   The rankings for this year covered the top 1,000 universities in 77 countries and regions based on the influence of their research results, educational environments and other factors.   The University of….Read more

A growing number of Japanese business schools are seeking certification from prestigious international certification authorities to vouch for the quality of their education and research. According to the U.S. accreditation body AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), only three Japanese business schools have been accredited so far, but six others are currently applying. Accreditation enhances international brand recognition….Read more

It was at the end of 2015 when an all-girl junior high school affiliated with Japan Women’s University received an inquiry from a mother of an elementary school student, asking if her daughter would be eligible to apply for enrollment. The mother said her daughter has been diagnosed with gender identity disorder and is listed as male on the family….Read more

Three Asian universities made it into this year’s top-30 schools for the first time in an influential ranking of the world’s best-performing 1,000 universities released Tuesday.   The National University of Singapore moved up two places from last year to joint 22nd, its highest ever rank, while China’s Peking University climbed two spots to joint 27th and Tsinghua University five….Read more

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The education ministry will not allow in principle an increase of the enrollment limits at private universities in Tokyo’s densely populated 23 wards, beginning in the school year from April 2018, according to informed sources.   The ministry will shortly present the regulation, aimed at rectifying the concentration of young people in the Japanese capital, in….Read more

The percentage of high school students that went on to university hit a record 52.6% this spring, up 0.6 percentage points from last year, according to the School Basic Survey (preliminary figures) released by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) on Aug. 3. Women accounted for a record high of 49.1% of college enrollment. A record number….Read more