Key words: Japan, higher education, globalization

O. V. ORUSOVA

Candidate of Economic Sciences

The education system played an important role in the post-war economic "miracle" in Japan. As it turned out, workers with good education (general and professional) not only learn new equipment better, but also use it more effectively, and professional development is faster and more fruitful.¹

Globalization and the growing involvement of countries ' economies in the common world space require improving the education system around the world.

The information technology revolution at the turn of the 21st century fundamentally changes not only the mode of production, but also the way of life of people, the nature of their relationships, and the system of values. It is precisely because of its identity that Japan feels this particularly acutely.

The era of information technology has brought the Internet-a tool that requires a purely individual approach. The Japanese method of making decisions based on general agreement does not go well with it. Japan's "secret weapon", the important components of its post - war economic success - patriarchy in labor and business relations, consensus approach-have become obsolete in the era of the new economy.

Collectivism, which was a source of strength for Japan in the 1950s and 1980s, has now become the cause of its weakness. Now the key to success is personal creative initiative.

And in the current, steep curve of Japanese history, the crossfire of criticism turned out to be exactly what the Land of the Rising Sun used to be proud of, namely: the education system. Its core is education in the spirit of Japanese-style collectivism. Now it is necessary to educate the independence of young people.

In the context of high competition between different education systems in the world, the reform and modernization of higher education is of particular importance for Japan.

THE STRUCTURE IS AMERICAN, THE SPIRIT IS JAPANESE

Structurally, the system of general and higher education in Japan is very similar to the American one. However, this applies mainly to the formal construction of the school.

The Japanese school is unique in its content, and especially in its spirit. She is quite successful in cultivating the national spirit of the Japanese, forming appropriate moral norms in her students, laying down and developing national character traits in them. Japanese schools, especially elementary schools, have always fostered respect for parents and elders, and faith in friends. It is the moral aspect that is the main feature that distinguishes a Japanese general education school from a Western one.

General education in Japan has a very clear structure 6 - 3 - 3: a 6-year elementary school (like most public schools in the United States), a 3-year first-grade high school, and a 3-year second-grade high school. But, unlike in the United States, most Japanese children from 3 to 6 years old are brought up in kindergartens.

Japanese colleges are divided into junior, technological and special training colleges.

Junior colleges offer two-year training programs in the humanities, natural sciences, medical and technical sciences. Their graduates have the right to continue their education.-

Table 1

Institutes of higher education in Japan (data as of May 1, 2008)

Источник: Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Higher Education in Japan. Tokyo, 2009, p. 4 - http://www.mext.go.jp/english/koutou/detail/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2009/12/03/1287370 1_1.pdf

education at the university from the 2nd or 3rd year of study. Admission to junior colleges is conducted on the basis of a full secondary school.

You can enroll in technology colleges after completing an incomplete or full secondary school. In the first case, the training period is 5 years, in the second-2 years. Special training colleges offer one-year professional courses for accountants, typists, designers, programmers, auto mechanics, tailors, cooks, etc.

You can enroll in public universities after you finish college or complete high school.

The Japanese school year starts on April 1 and ends in March. It is divided into 3 semesters with a 40-day break in July and August and a winter break at the end of December. Japanese children attend school 240 days a year, including classes on Saturdays (in the United States, the school year lasts 180 school days). Classes in Japanese schools can reach up to 40 students according to the norm established in 2006.

Japanese teachers believe that all students can successfully master the program offered in schools. And if someone falls behind, they are advised to pay more attention at school and spend more time reading books at home. Teachers especially value diligence, believing that if a child learns to study diligently at school, it will be easier for him at work.

In general, the Japanese general education system quite successfully fulfills the social order of society-preparing young people to master the complex professions of modern high-tech production and educating young people in the skills of unconditional submission to authority.

HIGHER AND" SEMI-HIGHER " EDUCATION

The higher education system includes the following 4 main types of educational institutions: full-cycle universities (4 years), accelerated cycle universities (2 years), professional colleges and technical institutes.

At full-cycle universities, training lasts 4 years (at the medical and veterinary faculties-6 years). After completing the main 4-year course (bachelor's degree) at the university, a graduate can enroll in a master's or doctoral program. The duration of the master's degree program in Japanese universities is 2 years. The doctoral program involves 5 years of study.

In accelerated universities, the duration of study is 2 years. About 60% of students at these universities are girls. They specialize in such disciplines as economics, literature, foreign languages, pedagogy, social protection, and other social sciences. This situation is related to the fact that so far a woman in Japan is mainly assigned the role of a mother and housewife, and not a successful employee of a large corporation.

Studying at professional colleges in Japan is aimed at those who want to get a narrow technical education. The duration of training is no more than 3 years.

The term of study at technical institutes is limited to 5 years, and they provide extensive technical training to their students. Graduates of such institutes get jobs in firms and research centers related to the development of new advanced technologies.

The Japanese themselves consider only university education to be truly higher. The first state (imperial) university on the Japanese Islands was established in 1877 in Tokyo. It included liberal arts and medical schools as colleges. D. Murray, an adviser on higher education invited from the United States, took part in the formation of the university. Apparently, for this reason, the Japanese higher education system from the very beginning was characterized by a certain touch of Americanism.

Today, there are 752 universities in Japan, including 591 private ones (see Table 1). They have about 3.14 million students.

Universities have established a system of credit units that assess the volume of the course studied, based on the number of hours spent weekly during the semester working in the classroom or laboratory. The number of credits required to complete a bachelor's degree varies from 124 to 150.

The Master's program provides advanced scientific and professional specialization. After two years of study, passing final exams and defending the thesis of the dissertation-

each graduate of the graduate school is awarded a master's degree.

Duration of doctoral (postgraduate)studies it is 3 years old, but after 2 years of master's degree training. After passing the final exams and defending a dissertation based on personally conducted research, the degree of doctor (PhD) in a particular field of knowledge is awarded, which generally corresponds to our PhD degree.

Japanese universities have a unique "research student"institute in the world. This means that a student who has set himself the goal of obtaining a scientific degree has the opportunity to engage in research work in the specific field of knowledge chosen by him from 6 months to one academic year. There are two main types of research students: a student who continues his studies at another university by agreement with the university where he took the main course; a foreign student who can be accepted to the university to prepare for the entrance exams for up to 2 years, but without further extension of his stay in Japan.

Research students enter graduate school for a year or more to study a scientific topic under the supervision of a university professor, but they are not awarded academic degrees.

Higher education in Japan is characterized by a wide coverage - more than 70% of young men and women aged 18 years are employed in higher education institutions, while tuition is paid everywhere (see Table 1).

General education training of students in Japan remains dominant in all areas and at all levels of education.

REVERSE SIDE OF THE COIN

Despite the seemingly successful functioning of the higher education system, it has many serious shortcomings, namely::

The spread of suicides due to exam failures. Obtaining a prestigious diploma of education is the key to the future career and the whole life of Japanese people, and the focus on entering the university is laid from kindergarten age. Children and young people go through" exam hell " when entering kindergarten, primary and secondary schools and universities.

Therefore, disruptions in exams lead to neuropsychiatric disorders of children and material and moral damage to parents. The number of young people who commit suicide due to poor exam results is growing. According to the World Health Organization, about 2 thousand young people a year aged 15-24 voluntarily pass away in Japan, and failure in exams, especially entrance exams, has caused the lion's share of them.

Decline in the quality of higher education due to the large number of universities. An overly extensive network of higher education institutions has led to a decline in the quality of higher education. University President Toyama G. Clark calls the situation in Japanese universities "educational communism", when students pretend that they are studying, and teachers do

Table 2

Number of students of institutes of higher education in Japan (excluding part-time students and students of accelerated universities)

Источник: Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology...

pretend they're teaching. The only thing that the employer looks at when applying for a job is the prestige of the diploma ².

The low quality of education can also be attributed to the huge number of private universities that have independent standards and training programs. Licenses are distributed right and left.

Low prestige of Japanese education in the world. Only Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka Universities are listed in the world University Rankings ³. However, in Asia, the prestige of Japanese universities is high due to the prospect of getting a job in a Japanese company.

A small number of creative, unconventional thinking students. The main requirement that modern business places on the higher education system in the world is the training of creative, innovative and innovative students. The core of education in Japan is the exam system, the essence of which is to teach people to remember, not to reflect, to act as is customary, and not to look for independent solutions, to follow traditions, and not to break them.

Lack of state funding for education. According to the 2009 report, the share of public and municipal spending on higher education in Japan's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2006 was 3.5% (no more recent data available). compared to the average for developed countries that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) - 4.8%. The country ranked penultimate among the 28 OECD countries (Chile ranked last)⁴.On the other hand, the share of private spending on education in Japan was 31.4%, which is significantly higher than the OECD average of 14.5% ^.5

According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, public spending on education in fiscal year 2007 (ended April 1, 2008, no more recent data available) was about 4 trillion yen (approximately $34 billion). at the average exchange rate of 2007) ⁶.

According to the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation (SP), in Russia, which is not yet a member of the OECD, public spending on education planned for 2009 was 413.1 billion rubles. ⁷ But, as stated by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, taking into account other budget items and sources, in 2009 the consolidated budget of the education system amounted to 1.75 trillion rubles. By the end of 2010, it will increase by another 100 billion rubles.⁸

The share of public spending on education in the Russian Federation (the Joint Venture provides data for 2007) was 4.1% of GDP, compared with 6.1% in the United States and Great Britain, 5.8% in France, 4% in Germany and 3.8% in Japan. ⁹

ON THE PATH OF REFORM

The Japanese Government is implementing a series of reforms to improve the level of higher education and research.

Since 2004, all state universities that were previously subordinate to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology were reorganized into state university corporations (companies) that independently decide on financial, personnel, etc. questions. This increases the responsibility of the university for the quality of education and encourages activities aimed at establishing communication with business.

University corporations are managed by the board of Directors, represented by the President and trustees, and a subordinate management structure, to which external specialists are invited.¹⁰

Municipal universities were also granted the right to transform themselves into municipal university corporations.

The state has also begun to pay more attention to private universities, where 80% of students study. The Government, represented by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the specially created Private Institute Support Corporation of Japan, provides various types of assistance to such educational institutions with subsidies for operating costs and faculty development, tax incentives, loans and assistance to improve the quality of management of educational corporations, etc. ¹¹

Internationalization of universities plays an important role in the reform of higher education.

Back in 1983, the government set a goal to increase the number of foreign students to 100 thousand. This goal was achieved in 2003, and by May 1, 2008, there were almost 124 thousand of them. In July 2008, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology approved a plan to attract 300,000 foreigners ^to study in Japan by 2020.12

The implementation of this plan also includes tasks to improve the admission procedures for international students, ranging from work to attract students to study in Japan and ending with assistance in possible employment after graduation.

The Japanese government rightly reasoned that opening the doors to national universities and graduate schools would promote them further, infuse new intellectual streams and, as a result, affect the success of the nation in the field of science and technology, as well as make Japanese industry more competitive in the world market.

In accordance with measures to increase the number of students from abroad to 300 thousand people, the government will select 30 universities that will act as international centers by 2020. The selected universities will receive financial support in the amount of 200-400 million yen* per year for 5 years, which will allow each of them to accept from 3 to 8 thousand international students.

These universities will issue diplomas to students after studying exclusively in English, and will also raise educational standards by organizing non-Japanese faculties.

In 2009, 13 universities were selected to become internationalization centers (Global 30). Among them, there are both public (Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka Universities) and private universities (Waseda, Sofia, Keio). In 2010, the number of these universities increased to 20.

As early as the beginning of 2001, the report "Japan's Vision for the 21st Century"was submitted to the Government for consideration. The document called for fostering the spirit of innovation among young people and seeing diversity as a source of strength.

Among the most sensational recommendations of the report are giving English the status of a second state language, duplicating all official documents in it. (The authors of the" Japanese Vision of the XXI century " stated that the Japanese are among the last in the world in terms of proficiency in English, which has actually become the language of the Internet.)

Teaching subjects and courses in English is aimed at creating an educational environment in which Japanese students can acquire the necessary communication skills in English, and it will be much easier for international students to study.

The reform involves:

- inviting teachers from abroad;

- publication of textbooks and teaching materials in English;

- creation of faculties at universities where classes are conducted in English, and centers for international students.

An important part of the Japanese Government's education reforms is to promote Japanese language teaching abroad and centralize international contacts with those who would like to study in Japan. For example, Tohoku State University has opened offices in Moscow and Khabarovsk in Russia.

In 2008, the Government launched a State-funded career development program for international students from Asia. As part of this program, universities and participating companies offer specialized lectures that meet the needs of corporations and practical training in companies. Students who have completed this course of lectures are usually hired by participating companies.

Thus, the higher education system in Japan is undergoing major changes.

Their main focus is to increase the independence and autonomy of universities, open up education to foreigners, increase the use of English as a global language of communication in teaching, and improve the quality and accessibility of higher education for the general population.

The essence of changes is reduced to the implementation of one main idea-the preparation of a creative, individual, and innovative individual.

Education has always been an effective channel for spreading what is commonly called the national idea in Japan. However, achieving this goal of turning the "realm of groups" into the "realm of individuals" is a complex and long process. You can only guess how long it will take to do this.

* $1 is quoted at a rate of approximately 84.5-85.5 yen (approx. ed.).

^{Vlasov V. A.} 1 Scientific and technical revolution in Japan (base, directions, consequences). Moscow: Mysl Publ., 1975, p. 152.

^{Dronishinets N. P.} 2 Problemy upravleniya sistemem vysshego obrazovaniya v Jap'anii [Problems of managing the higher education system in Japan]. Universitetskoe upravlenie, 2002, No. 1.

³ The Japan Times, 12.09.2009.

⁴ Official website of the OECD. Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2009. Key Results, p. 28 - http://www.slideshare.net/OECD/education-at-a-glance-2009-oecd-indicators; Japan 2nd lowest among 28 OECD nations in education spending // Kyodo News, 9.09.2009 - http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/japan-2nd-lowest-among-28-oecd -nations-in-education-spending

^{Zhelezov B. V., Vakhshtein V. S., Meshkova T. A.} 5 Organization of higher education financing in the OECD countries: Main trends and experience for Russia -http://www.ee socman.edu.ru/db/msg/181114.html

⁶ Calculated by: MEX's General Budget for FY2007 - http://www.mext.go.jp/english/yosan/001.htm

⁷ Website of the Accounts Chamber of the Russian Federation. Conclusion of a joint venture for federal budget projects for 2010 and 2011-2012. Table of federal budget expenditures for 2009 and 2010 by classification sections - www.bud-getrf.ru/Publications/Schpalata/Zakluchenia/ACH_ZAKL200911041925/A CH_ZAKL200911041925_008.htm

⁸ Website of the President of the Russian Federation. Verbatim report on the joint meeting of the State Council and the Commission for Modernization and Technological Development of the Russian Economy, 31.08.2010 - http://www.kremlin.ru/transcripts/8786

⁹ Ibid. Table of the structure of expenditures of the budgets of the G7 countries and the Russian Federation in % of GDP - www.budgetrf.ru/Publications/Schpalata/Zakluchenia/ACH_ZAKL200911041925/A CH_ZAKL200911041925_009.htm

¹⁰ Higher Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Higher Education in Japan. Tokyo, 2009, p. 6 - http://www.mext.go.jp/english/koutou/detail/_icsFiles/afieldfile/2009/12/03/1287370_ 1_1.pdf

¹¹ Ibid., p. 7.

¹² Ibid., p. 16 - 17.

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