In recent years, Japanese universities have focused on two main objectives: contributing to the local community and globalizing its instruction.
In Nagano Prefecture, Shinshu University has topped the Nikkei Global ranking several times in terms of local contributors.
“Everyone is working together to revitalize the economy. There is true synergy between the government, the private sector and the universities,” President Kunihiro Hamada said.
The national university established five research institutes for the fields of biomedical, carbon, mountain, and energy & environmental sciences, as well as fiber technology.
“We have already reorganized our faculties as we aim to combine the expertise from different fields to develop new industries that will help the local community in the next years,” Hamada also said.
In Yokohama, Toyo Eiwa University aims to further incorporate diversity and open mindedness among its students. Globalization is the ongoing focus, as the university develops a full English-only curriculum to increase its pool of international students and partners.
“We also send students abroad to see different cultures,” said President Akifumi Ikeda, who believes that this exposure is especially important to its students because it also allows them to understand their own heritage and share it with people around the world.
“With our students being all female and Japan encouraging women to play bigger roles in the economy, making our students venture out into the world is our way of making an impact on the country,” Ikeda said.
