March 12, 2004

In Japan, Radical Reform or Same Old Subservience?

By ALAN BRENDER

National universities wonder how much freedom they will be given under looser government oversight

For decades, Japan's national universities have been paralyzed by bureaucracy. Tightly controlled by the education ministry, they have offered unimaginative curricula, provided few opportunities for innovative research, and prepared students poorly for the working world. The international reputation of the country's higher-education system has suffered accordingly.

Now, in what is

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