Japanese universities ponder paucity of foreign students

Japanese universities ponder paucity of foreign students

By Kelly Olsen

TOKYO (AP): Their alumni include some very prominent people. The Philippines' foreign secretary, for example, was Tokyo University class of 1964. Indonesia's top economic minister was Tokyo U. '65.

These days, however, Japanese universities are finding it harder to attract foreign students, despite offers of cash and easier admissions.

And although this country remains the economic powerhouse of Asia, the paucity of students eager to study Japan, Inc. from the inside may point to a more serious problem -- the declining cachet of a Japanese university education.

"The quality of Japanese universities is being questioned," said Hiroyasu Sasaki, a foreign student adviser at Tokyo's prestigious Waseda University.

More often than not, it appears, their answer is to go elsewhere.

Japan long ago recognized the political importance of bringing in more foreign students -- who may well go on to hold important positions in government or business back home.

In 1983, Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone launched an aggressive program to boost the number of foreign students studying at Japanese colleges to 100,000 by 2000.

But the numbers today are barely half that -- and going down. In 1997 there were 51,047 students enrolled in universities and graduate schools, down for the second straight year.

The statistics are all the more disconcerting because Japan already lags far behind other advanced countries in this area. The United States is easily the most popular destination, with over 450,000 foreign students. France, Britain and Germany host over 100,000 each.

"Japan is still not as open as the United States," said Leo Esaki, an educator and Nobel Prize winning Japanese physicist. Esaki graduated from Japanese schools, but then spent 32 years in America working for IBM.

There are many reasons for Japan's dilemma.

Educational opportunities are perceived as being better abroad, and the ability to receive an education in English -- the de facto international language -- make places like the United States and Australia more attractive.

Emergency

The difficulty of learning Japanese, on the other hand, is a major obstacle to students coming here, as is Japan's notoriously high cost of living.

Since Nakasone's proposal, the yen has doubled in value. More recently, the Asian financial crisis has made things worse for students from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and South Korea -- where currencies have plummeted.

Not surprisingly, Asia provides virtually all of Japan's foreign students. Some 22,323 come from China, followed by South Korea with 11,785 and Taiwan at 4,323. The United States is the only country outside the region in the top 10, coming in sixth with 999.

With the issue getting more media attention recently, the government has begun making some amends.

In February, officials announced a onetime emergency payment of 50,000 yen (US$380) to students from seven Asian countries to help deal with the effects of the region's financial crisis.

Last month, Japan said it would extend $4.24 million to Malaysia and $950,000 to Thailand to help cover expenses for their students.

Some universities have also begun accepting dissertations written in English, and are even allowing classes to be taught in that language.

But language and cost aren't the only issues weighing on the minds of potential students.

Though Japan's primary and secondary schools are often hailed for instilling high-level math and reading skills, its universities have long had a reputation for being both undisciplined and closed-minded.

Even at the best institutions, grading is generally lax and professors often miss class. Though it is hard to get admitted to a good university, it is usually easy to graduate.

"The students are under no compulsion to study and the teachers are under no compulsion to teach," said Gregory Clark, president of Tama University in Tokyo.

Non-Japanese professors, meanwhile, are usually hired on a contract basis and are very rarely granted tenure, even after years of teaching and conducting research.

This situation protects the position of Japanese scholars, but makes it hard to get or keep talented foreign scholars.

Nobelist Esaki said that by failing to attract foreign students and scholars, academia itself is shutting the door on a diversity of ideas.

Foreigners should be brought in, he said, "because that gives some stimulation and more excitement to the campus atmosphere."