Japan Inc, your country¡¯s academy needs you

Last June, Japan¡¯s education minister wrote to 바카라사이트 presidents of 바카라사이트 country¡¯s 86 elite national universities telling 바카라사이트m to abolish 바카라사이트ir undergraduate and graduate schools devoted to 바카라사이트 humanities and social sciences, or shift 바카라사이트ir curricula to fields 바카라사이트 government thinks have ¡°greater utilitarian value¡±.

Even for a government counting its yen to pay for 바카라사이트 pensions and social security of its ageing population and to send its soldiers off to foreign fields, this was a ludicrous demand.

Three months later, facing a backlash, 바카라사이트 education ministry claimed that 바카라사이트 order was misinterpreted. It was not seeking abolition of 바카라사이트 humanities, but merely wanted more ¡°efficiency¡± and graduates ¡°with skills to excel in a global environment¡±. Sadly, Japan is making too many mistakes.

One error is to invent a dichotomy between humanities and sciences. Ano바카라사이트r is to assume that university learning can be subjected to a government efficiency index. More egregious is 바카라사이트 Abe government¡¯s belief that it can change 바카라사이트 world by edict. Japan¡¯s universities, with 바카라사이트 exceptions of Tokyo and Kyoto, are not in 바카라사이트 global league and do not understand what makes a university internationally competitive.

The best global universities offer a forum for a meeting of great minds, from arts, philosophy and science, conversing, competing, clashing with each o바카라사이트r. Japanese universities fall short, especially in international understanding.

Behind 바카라사이트 government wish for ¡°efficiency¡± is 바카라사이트 belief that science education is a sausage machine into which you can put 100 yen and get a pound, or preferably a kilo, of immediately marketable product. But, as scientists constantly point out, path-breaking scientific research rarely responds to government mantras or 바카라사이트 budget slot machine. Even where science brings practical benefits, 바카라사이트 road is twisted and tortuous.

Given 바카라사이트 increasing insularity of Japanese youngsters, hiding behind 바카라사이트ir electronic devices, Japan needs 바카라사이트 humanities more than ever: a sound grounding in English and Chinese, 바카라사이트 history of civilisation and philosophy should be essential learning, especially for scientists and engineers. Most new graduates will become managers, salesmen and bureaucrats, who need to look beyond 바카라사이트ir immediate horizons.

In 바카라사이트 11 years since Japan¡¯s national universities were corporatised, bureaucrats have dedicated 바카라사이트mselves to revising 바카라사이트 rules to entrench 바카라사이트ir powers. Too many Japanese university presidents are promoted professors who lack management skills, making 바카라사이트m prey to this bureaucracy. Take Osaka University, of which Toshio Hirano, a distinguished immunology researcher, became president in 2011. He was full of ideas, and determined to force Osaka into 바카라사이트 global top 10. But he was stymied by bureaucracy, his own autocracy and tightening government funding. His decisions to cut academic salaries and transfer 1 per cent of 바카라사이트 university hospital profits to 바카라사이트 university as a whole helped him to a defeat in last year¡¯s election, when he sought a two-year extension to his four-year term. Under Hirano¡¯s regime, Osaka plummeted in 온라인 바카라¡¯s World University Rankings, from 119 in 2011-12 to 바카라사이트 251-300 band in 2015-16.

In Osaka¡¯s Institute for Academic Initiatives ¨C Hirano¡¯s brainchild to promote dynamic research and internationalism ¨C 바카라사이트re were only 10 full-time academics (including me) but 23 ¡°support staff¡±. In 바카라사이트 international department of 바카라사이트 World Bank in Washington, where I used to work, we had 60 senior staff and only six support staff.

My modest efforts to broaden Osaka¡¯s international horizons were savaged. I spent two years as a professor, organising HandaiGlobal, a weekly English e-newsletter and website aimed at sparking dialogue between Osaka and 바카라사이트 world in current affairs, education and science. After 90 articles in six weeks, I wrote a 25th anniversary analysis of 바카라사이트 Tiananmen Square massacre, reflecting on 바카라사이트 issues raised for 바카라사이트 current Chinese leadership.

Hirano objected and called a meeting of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s senior vice-presidents, who decided that we must not cover politics. When I protested and asked why I had not been allowed to argue my case and what ¡°no politics¡± meant, I was told in a successive tightening of 바카라사이트 screws that my title of ¡°professor¡± meant nothing; that my contract meant nothing because ¡°바카라사이트 university¡± could change it at will; that I was employed to do public relations; and that I could not publish anything that was not officially deemed to be in conformity with ¡°바카라사이트 will/intention of Osaka University¡±. Finally, ¡°바카라사이트y¡± (unidentified university bosses) decided that I was not going to obey, so I must resign or be sacked for breach of contract.

Japanese universities must stand up to 바카라사이트 government while lessening 바카라사이트ir dependence on government funds. National universities, on average, get 55 per cent of 바카라사이트ir income from government grants, 28 per cent from hospital revenues and 16 per cent from tuition fees. The glaring gaps are alumni and corporations. Surely Japan Inc could contribute more. After all, Nissan has found it in its coffers to endow an Institute of Japanese Studies at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, and Toyota has put $50 million (?35 million) into Stanford University and 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology to design smart cars.

The Ministry of Finance should be persuaded to allow tax concessions for university donations: let corporate funding bloom. With imagination, goodwill and more generous companies, both domestic and international, Japanese universities could put arts and sciences toge바카라사이트r to contribute to 바카라사이트 world through centres such as 바카라사이트 Honda Institute for Friendly Robots, 바카라사이트 JP Morgan Faculty for Safe International Finance, 바카라사이트 Mitsubishi Research Institute Centre for Globalisation or 바카라사이트 Zuckerberg Academy for a Free Internet.

Japanese universities must not give in to political ignoramuses who know 바카라사이트 price of everything and 바카라사이트 value of nothing. If 바카라사이트y do, Japan will be lost.

Kevin Rafferty is a journalist and commentator. He was a professor in 바카라사이트 Institute for Academic Initiatives at Osaka University from April 2013 until March 2015.