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Paper short abstract:

This talk examines how family-run universities in Japan have negotiated a major demographic decline since the 1990s. It identifies a number of 'inbuilt' strengths of family business which help account for the unexpected resilience of the private university sector in a period of crisis.

Paper long abstract:

Globally, private universities enrol one in three of all higher education students, while in Japan (which has the second largest higher education system in the world in terms of overall expenditure) almost 80% of all university students attend private institutions. According to some estimates up to 40% of these institutions are family businesses in the sense that members of a single family have substantive ownership or control over their operation. This talk examines how such universities in Japan have negotiated a period of major demographic decline since the 1990s: their experiments in restructuring and reform, the diverse experiences of those who worked and studied within them and, above all, their unexpected resilience. It argues that this resilience derives from a number of 'inbuilt' strengths of family business which are often overlooked in conventional descriptions of higher education systems and in predictions regarding the capacity of universities to cope with dramatic changes in their operating environment. This analysis underlines the need to employ a more actor-centred approach to balance the consensus-based functionalist paradigm which has tended to dominate the study of Japanese society.

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Paper short abstract:

The paper discusses how Japanese Universities have been responding towards the Covid-19 pandemic in view of their digitalisation efforts. It analyses the actors, ideas and institutional settings functioning as drivers and barriers to accelerate a digital transformation and its future implications.

Paper long abstract:

The COVID-19 pandemic is accelerating the digital transformation in the higher education sector globally. In Japan, the higher education sector is under increased pressure to reform since 2004, in order to compete on the global education and innovation marketplace. Nevertheless, changes occurred only at a slow pace, also in respect of making use of online/ distance learning opportunities, and Japan has lost considerable ground in global competitiveness rankings. During the pandemic, distance learning became a new normal also in Japan`s higher education sector. According to MEXT surveys, 82,6% of Japan`s national universities had introduced distance learning until the end of April 2021 and many faculty members, administrative staff and students have been required to take training courses in how to deal with changing academic environments, how to master new technology and digital skills, how to protect data privacy, data security and avoid violating copyright.

The paper takes the digitalization efforts of Japan`s so called “designated national universities” – Tohoku University, The University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Nagoya University, Osaka University, Hitotsubashi University, Tsukuba University, and Tokyo Medical and Dental University – as case studies, because these universities are expected to spearhead the reform of Japan`s national universities, to share best practices and outcomes with impact on the development of society and the economy. The paper explores which actors, ideas and institutional settings currently drive the digital transformation of these universities, and which factors are persistent barriers to progress. Moreover, possible future implications for the globalization strategies of Japan`s national universities are discussed, e.g. are university online programs functioning as trigger for international exchange etc.?

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Paper short abstract:

Tojisha-kenkyu (self-directed research) is a form of psychotherapy that is attracting special attention because of its scientific side. In this study, we reconsider the experiments of tojisha-kenkyu presented as a set of treatises and creations (poetry and novels).

Paper long abstract:

In the field of welfare in Japan, tojisha-kenkyu (self-directed research) has attracted substantial attention. In tojisha-kenkyu, sick and disabled people can study their hardships in collaboration with colleagues who have similar hardships, and elucidate the mechanism of hardships to obtain a better lifestyle. Tojisha-kenkyu was developed by Ikuyoshi Mukaiyachi and others at Bethel House (Urakakawa, Hokkaido). Originally, it was used to treat schizophrenia and addiction. It is currently also used for mental illnesses, such as, mood disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders, and personality disorders as well as for non-psychiatric patients who have more everyday hardships, such as hardworking office workers and parents because Tojisha-kenkyu is regarded as a sophisticated skill that enables individuals to manage the burdens of life effectively.

Tojisha-kenkyu is a form of psychotherapy that is attracting attention because of its scientific aspect. Tojisha-kenkyu can describe the unique individuality of a person as in the humanities, and utilize the discourse of welfare as in the social sciences, and medical discourse as in the natural sciences. Therefore, the possibility that tojisha-kenkyu will innovate the structure of conventional scientific fields is being explored. At the University of Tokyo, which is Japan's most prestigious university, the collaboration between tojisha-kenkyu and advanced natural science is being promoted.

The presenter is an associate professor challenged by autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; He is a researcher of literature, art, and humanities. The presenter undertook tojisha-kenkyu and focused on himself to conduct an experiment and present the results as a special fusion of science and the arts, namely, poetry and novels (Makoto Yokomichi: Minnna mizu no naka [All in the Water] Tokyo, Igaku-shoin, 2021). The book was an epoch-making experiment in the history of tojisha-kenkyu because of its style. In this presentation, we will reconsider the book, especially based on the response from critics and readers.