This article was transcribed from the full interview for publication in the TIME Asia Edition (November 6, 2023) - Content by Global Kigyo Co, Ltd.
Interviewer: Japan is currently undertaking reforms in school education, aimed at better preparing students for the twenty-first century, and these include changes to national curriculum standards, a new school evaluation system, teacher training, and improved coordination between schools and society. An emphasis has also been placed on languages, with English now being taught to all students from fifth grade. Furthermore, the government has considered making further changes to social and employment structures to prepare for anticipated technological advancements such as AI, and discussions of the OECD Education 2030. As Japan is regularly regarded as one of the best countries to receive an education, alongside other countries such as the US, UK, and Australia, what is it that makes Japan stand out? What are the strengths of the Japanese education system?
President: The Japanese education system is made from a '6-3-3-4' structure, meaning the amount of years spent in elementary school, junior high school, high school, and university respectively. Despite the first two stages being compulsory, almost all students go on to high school. They have various options after high school, with 56.6% of students carrying on to university last year (2022), the highest rate that it has ever been. The remainder of the student body however, seek other educational options, such as vocational and technical schools, and the total percentage of students who go on to high education institutions is 83.8% (in 2022), meaning that the overall labor force in Japan has a relatively high level of skill.
Recently, we have seen issues of students dropping out of school due to pressure and bullying, and whilst this is a significant concern, the incidence rate is much smaller compared to many other countries. At the university level, the percentage of students that actually graduate is very high in Japan, at roughly 90%. For example, out of the 140 students enrolled in the medical school here at Niigata University each year, 130 or more finally graduate. Overall as a nation, the pass rate for physician licensure is also similarly high, at more than 90% average, which is higher than several other developed nations such as the US or in Europe. I put this down to the strict entry requirements for Japanese universities; the initial grades required are high, but once actually at the university, students are able to work at a sufficient level.
Overall, one of the key differences is that all students in Japan are given the same level of support, whereas in western countries, high-performing students are often given additional teaching, whereas many students at the bottom end of the distribution end up dropping out.
Interviewer: With your extensive experience overseas, what are some of the characteristics of the academic environment overseas that you feel differ significantly from Japan?
President: We have very strong ties with several other countries. As Niigata was the first place to open an air route with Russia, there has always been a special relationship with many educational institutions there. Since 1993, our university has been conducting student exchange with Russian students in the field of medicine, during my time as the Dean of Medicine at this institution, prior to becoming president. At first, we worked on exchanges with three far-eastern Siberian universities, then moving onto research symposiums, and finally wider collaboration across the country. Unfortunately, in recent years this relationship has been put on hold due to the ongoing conflict with Ukraine, however, before this time I did see many similarities between the education systems in Russia and Japan.
Many students had similar mannerisms to their counterparts in Japan. However, one thing I did notice was things arising from cultural differences. For example, due to the difference of time management in different cultures, there was always 'something happening' regarding schedules, which often caused an event to be late or rearranged. This was also a point that I also noticed during a period of time I spent as a visiting professor in Sardinia, Italy. I think this not necessarily a bad thing; Japan is too much strict about everything, but the relaxed mood turned to become nice in its own way.
Interviewer: Within Japan, attracting international students is seen as one of the key solutions to solving problems such as the shrinking population and labor force shortages. There has been a lot of discussion surrounding international students within post-secondary institutions; students can bring fresh perspectives and language skills to companies if they choose to stay after studying. Consequently, countries worldwide are increasingly competing to attract these overseas students, and Japan is no exception, with a pre-pandemic level of over 300,000 international students nationwide. We have seen that you provide various support programs for international students, including job-hunting and business Japanese courses so that students can more easily settle in the area after graduation. What would you say the importance of international students has been on Japan’s economic and social development?
President: During the pandemic, a significant amount of lessons were moved on to online platforms to comply with government infection measures. This experience proved to be highly disruptive, however, it did make us think about what kind of 'experience' we want to create on campus. Definitely, having international students at the university brings a diversity in culture that is hard to create otherwise, which we believe is beneficial to all.
Currently, we have plans to build a new dormitory on-campus, where both Japanese and international students can live together and socialize. We are also looking at building a 'global communication area' where students from different countries can come together and interact with each other. What I hope for is that in the future, we will be able to offer a unique experience compared to other universities. Given that more widely, as a prefecture Niigata is very unique in the kinds of industries it contains, from technology to agriculture and food science, we believe the area can really embrace diversity, and we want to be a driver of that change.
Of course, to realize these goals we have to put a lot of systems in place; one of the biggest challenges is helping students secure employment in the local area after graduation. In Japan, university is seen as a period where a young student (aging 18-22) establishes their personality, we believe that any kind of international experience at this time is very formative; it leads to broadened perspectives for all involved. Even an exchange student either coming to Japan or going abroad may see their home country in a different light, for better or worse.
Looking at the overall benefits for Japan, given that the population is declining, many rural areas need people to come and work in the local labor force. Studying at a university in a regional core city of Japan is often the first step in this process, and we want to be part of this movement.
Interviewer: Besides being a center of top-quality teaching, Niigata University has also established a number of research institutes in diverse fields. One of your flagship centers is the 'Brain Research Institute', the first of its kind at a national university in Japan, where you conduct research into age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. In a very different vein, your university has also conducted research in other niche areas, with your 'Sakeology Center' working since 2017 as an international center for the cultural and scientific studies of sake. What are some of the proudest research achievements of your university in recent times?
President: Niigata University is a large scale, research-oriented comprehensive university; we have ten faculties at the university and five graduate schools, with two research institutes and university hospital. Given this, it is hard to pinpoint one specific area as there are so many. When thinking about the concept of a ‘comprehensive university’ that offers a wide breadth of courses such as those in the US, it is often the case that they are focused more on undergraduate teaching rather than research. However, we also have excellent researchers here at Niigata University, that are working on international-level projects.
We have an over-100-year history, and originally, we started as the 'Imperial Medical College Niigata'; as such, medical research has long been a part of our DNA. For example, studies on the ovulation cycle (1930) by Dr. Kyusaku Ogino led us to the idea now known as the 'Ogino's Rhythm Method' of birth control, which gained support from the Catholic community due to its lack of contraceptive use.
Besides a lot of basic research, we also conduct many clinical trials at the university hospital. Some areas, such as our Brain Research Institute conduct projects on both sides. For example, we have been focusing recently on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, which are based on abnormal protein strands causing issues within the brain. In the case of this disease, tau proteins accumulate over a long period of time, whereas in cases of Parkinson's, 'synuclein' proteins are thought to be the cause.
These kinds of protein-based diseases are studied as a single group, and I believe that Niigata University has been pushing the boundaries of science in this niche area. Once we know more about these diseases, we can then move to the biomedical phase of developing medicines to cure them. Currently, the type of medicine that is being worked on at our institute is something that can ‘melt’ these usually insoluble proteins, leading to better outcomes within the brain.
One of the defining characteristics of our Brain Research Institute is that we use human brains samples as a main focus, one of the only of its kind. We have a unique 'brain bank' that we hope will become part of a larger research network internationally. Within this collection, we have a large database of human brain tissue samples, the top-ten-class biggest in the entire world. We are able to use these samples with special dyes to examine protein changes, as well as using MRI and/or PET to compare them, thus completing a "brain map" integrating molecular and functional information in the brain that will serve as a guidepost for a dementia inclusive society.
Within the research space, we do work on many other different fields. One of which is 'sakeology', which you mentioned previously, and another is a joint project we work on with the University of Bourdeaux, France, that has a center for the study of wine.
Interviewer: International partnerships within education have a number of benefits; they strengthen research and understanding whilst also providing students with unique opportunities to improve their language and intercultural skills. Schemes in Europe for example have given birth to the so-called 'Erasmus Generation', faculty and students with a greater sense of awareness and integration with the broader global community. As well as maintaining exchange partnerships with a number of institutions across Asia, Europe, and North America, you also have worked on several special projects, including your 'S-EARTH' initiative focused on environmental problems in the Indo-Pacific region. How is your institution planning to further leverage international partnerships in the future?
President: When it comes to our overseas partnerships, we do not have such strong ties with those in the US and Europe, however, we do conduct joint research and exchange on occasion. I believe that for the next three years, I would like to focus on strengthening these ties; for example with the University of Bristol in the UK, we have an inter-university agreement, but there is no active program except my personal relationship with the physics department. As such, the main goal will be integrating actual university administrations, so that students can more freely interact with their counterparts overseas.
Currently, we are also working on a project with universities in India and Australia focused on geology, utilizing both online and in-person conferences. I will be visiting India at the end of this year to help facilitate this network, visiting a number of institutions to gain more connections for our university. Although we would like to build a similar network with universities in Europe and the US, the time zone difference does provide a slight practical problem.
Interviewer: The origins of your institution go back to the pre-war period, with the prefectural hospital growing to encompass the Niigata Medical College in 1922, then leading to the establishment of your university 27 years later. Now, with your 75th anniversary just around the corner, Niigata University has been able to grow to become a strong higher education provider within the Hokuriku region. We have seen regarding future plans, within your 'Niigata University Future Vision 2030' you have outlined several goals, including creating a space where students can design their own learning, as well as nurturing flagship, international-level research. What does the future of your institution look like, and what is your 3-5 year midterm plan?
President: What we are looking to do in the future is to become a frontrunner for 'future life' innovation, in both the biological and sociological senses. I believe that this is at the core of making human beings happy, and as such, I set it as our midterm goal for 2030. To achieve that, we are looking at increasing interdisciplinary study; currently, we do offer the option to study major and minor courses similar to many universities in the US.
Universities are not a place to be taught 'knowledge', rather, they should be place for students to learn how to utilize their minds. As such, I think that having a large variety of subjects available will help students develop their critical thinking skills.
To illustrate our midterm plan effectively, we have outlined three pillars, namely 'education, research, and collaboration with society'. Within these, we are looking to enhance our existing research centers, as well as collaborate with similar institutions overseas.