Higher education in Japan: a view from outside

This article echoes the previous articles of this special issue. ... Developments and notably changes in the early 1990s are analyzed in respect to the quantative-structural pattern of Japanese higher education system; governance and financing; access and admissions; learning, teaching and research; links between educational attainment, credentials and career; curricula, competences and graduate employment, and finally graduate education. The author draws the conclusion that efforts directed towards reforming higher education have been spread over many issues, among them many academic issues such as new curricular approaches, rather than focussing on single major issues such as steering, governance and evaluation as one could observe in Europe during the last ten years or so. Changing societal conditions, for example growing employment problems, the increase of specialists' career and internationalization currently stimulate a reconsideration of higher education policies in various respects. (DIPF/Orig.abstract)