P.M. Koizumi's reforms and the privatisation of Japan's National University system

Abstract

The Japan Diet recently passed a law taking effect from 1 August 2003. This much-debated reform effects a radical restructuring of Japan's national university system into 'quasi-public', independent institutions. This major shift in the national government's involvement in tertiary education is justified on the grounds of making at least 30 of the 99 national universities into world class institutions for research, teaching, and the training of future leaders. However, it is also clear that the central government is trying to rid itself of its mandate to subsidize extensively the national universities. In this paper we will present an overview of the history of national universities in Japan up to their state before the new law, circa early 2003. We will then explain what immediate changes the new law will bring to the universities. Next we will make predictions as to how the reform will actually impact these institutions and the local and regional communities they serve. We will, in part, focus on the possible effects on research and teaching, including foreign languages as part of the larger general education curriculum.