Meijo University celebrates its centennial with new programs, global outreach and a commitment to research excellence.
Japanese society is facing a number of challenges with a lack of labor force globalization when compared to other countries. It is having a big effect on Japan’s ability to hire new staff, and it is estimated that by the year 2040 Japan will face a shortage of 10 million workers. To try and address this the Japanese government has begun to introduce ambitious targets of attracting 400,000 foreign students here to Japan. Can you tell us in your opinion, what role higher education in Japan plays in addressing these challenges of globalization and the shortage of labor?
Meijo University is now reaching 100 years of history, and as a leading educational institution, our mission is to nurture human beings who can contribute to society by leading not only our country but the world. For domestic and overseas students we provide the highest levels of education that will lead to them furthering their careers as leaders.
There are two key issues pertaining to Japanese universities. The Times Higher Education (THE) rankings of Japanese universities are currently quite low, and the appropriate evaluations are not conducted on Japanese universities. I think the reason could be attributed to the Japanese tradition of homogeneity that has been prevalent for 2,000 years now. Japan is an island nation and Japanese people can communicate with each other non-verbally. This aspect is now acting negatively, and companies and universities here struggle with promoting and public relations (PR). Strengthening PR and communicating with the outside world is now very important.
The second issue is the lack of English accessibility, especially in the education field. When Japan opened the country a couple of hundred years ago all of the overseas knowledge was incorporated and translated into Japanese. Education has since been carried out with these Japanese translations. Japanese has become a dominant language here with less emphasis on English, but since the modern world relies heavily on English it has become a sore spot for Japan. It is important for universities like ours to incorporate more English, so to that end, we have created a syllabus in English so that outsiders can understand the programs we offer. We are also offering more English language programs.
Issues are nowadays becoming more globalized, so a more cross-border approach is required. Higher education plays an important role in nurturing the human capabilities to tackle these international affairs. Our university has the mission to contribute to global society through the nurturing of students.
The newly established Council for the Creation of Future Education is spearheading efforts to increase the number of graduate and Phd level students with JPY 10 trillion in government funds. What sort of initiatives are you providing to attract Master’s degree and Ph.D students here to your university?
We place a very strong emphasis on R&D alongside nurturing students to participate in the industry after graduation. Our particular area of Aichi is known for its heightened industry, so graduates and undergraduates join companies in the area in order to foster and lead the Japanese industry. At the same time, it is important for us to strengthen our R&D capabilities as well as the higher education aspects of our university. To that end, we recently established our Graduate School Activation Committee where we are now introducing more methods to enhance our research environment. This will go some way to attracting both domestic and international researchers whilst also providing a cutting-edge research environment.
You mentioned the JPY 10 trillion fund, and Tohoku University is within the scope of this JPY 10 trillion funding of the Japanese government. We have a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tohoku University and have started collaborative research. We also participate in a project at the Nano Terasu (3-GeV Next-Generation Synchrotron Radiation facility) in Tohoku University. By working together with other Japanese and international universities we are providing the latest cutting-edge technological research environment, especially in the field of LED development. We want to fully leverage and integrate our resources, leading the way in the academic field.
Another field that we are heavily investing in is disaster prevention. Ten years ago the Great East Japan Earthquake occurred and Chubu is known for its torrential rain and overflowing rivers. We have established a research center in each local area to research as well as find ways to mitigate natural disasters.
Your university is well known for receiving Nobel laureates. Could you discuss some of the specific initiatives and factors within some of your departments that have contributed to the success of your breakthrough research?
The university was founded by a gentleman called Mr. Juichi Tanaka who studied in Germany. During his time in Germany, he was really impressed by German education, particularly in electrical engineering because the study of science and engineering was combined. Science is the theory behind the scenes, whereas engineering is the implementation of ideas in society. When he came back to Japan, he set about creating a similar style of education and established. our school in 1926 as the Nagoya Specialized School of Science and Engineering. The spirit of learning theory and then combining it with the implementation within society has been a core spirit that has been passed down through the generations of our university. We were able to accommodate professors with higher research areas, providing the best research environment for them with the support of Japanese government funding. All of this has led to Nobel Prize recognition.
We do have another promising research project led by Professor Sumio Iijima, and he has developed carbon nanotubes which are now considered as a possible material to be used to create an elevator in connecting space stations, so if that becomes reality that would be some groundbreaking innovation.
The way that technology is changing these days, it is very difficult to try and keep up and create curricula that can react fast to new innovations. Your university has a broad range of departments and faculties. How do you ensure that the teaching in these different faculties can remain relevant and up-to-date with the latest cutting-edge technology?
Being on the cutting edge is critical for beneficial education, and to do so external evaluation is necessary. The Japanese government stipulates that every seven years universities must go under governmental screening to ensure that the level of education is to standard.
We have one or two external experts who review curriculums for all 10 Faculties on a yearly basis.
Are you looking to integrate any new departments or programs in the near future?
In two years’ time, we are celebrating our 100th anniversary which is a huge milestone for our university. In 2026 the first graduates will come out of the faculty of information engineering. This new faculty used to be in the Department of Science and Engineering, but it has been upgraded to its own faculty that began its program two years ago. To this end, we are establishing a new information engineering graduate school to accommodate those graduating and enhance data research in the field.
Right now we have over 20 different departments so we are trying to reorganize the structure so that the education that we offer can be more comprehensive. An example might be in semiconductor research which now requires diverse knowledge. Our university now has a department of material function research which is more of a physics-based field. We also have a more chemistry-based department with our department of applied sciences. By combining these two it would allow for a more comprehensive study path and research path. Our current plan calls for upgrading and reorganizing our education by the year 2026.
It seems clear that collaboration plays an important role in your operations and understanding these important new growing industries. How have collaborations benefited your research capabilities?
Meijo University is very attracted to collaborations with both companies and governments. We have a designated department in the university that creates relationships with companies. That department also has connections with local governments and the national government. Through these contacts, we are pushing forward and finding ways to apply the technology and knowledge that we have acquired.
In the field of LEDs, there are collaborations with LED companies and as for the automotive industry we collaborate with Toyota, a world-leading automotive company. Our researchers have joint projects with Toyota exploring aerodynamics and materials. Autonomous driving is another important field to research, especially with the declining population, and to this end, we are working together with local governments in realizing an autonomous transportation system. These are all examples that exemplify our activities.
Whenever students look around for a university to attend, not only do they look at the programs on offer, but they also might look at the support that the university provides them after graduation. What kind of support and job placement are you able to provide to Japanese students and international students who graduate from Meijo University?
As you may be aware, the Japanese hiring system is very unique. It is important for universities like us to prepare students with the skills and knowledge necessary to enter into society and find job placements in good companies. Upon entering into our university students are placed on a path that will lead to their future careers. During the four years they attend, we nurture the students so that they can readily face the Japanese hiring process and go beyond to forge a working life for themselves. This mindset isn’t just confined to Japanese students either, and with international students who are interested in staying in Japan, we also provide a support system.
We have collaborations together with universities in Aichi and Gifu prefectures to create a full support system for overseas students and to help them develop their careers in Japan. Leveraging these programs will be very useful for foreign students.
When we think about internationalization, we think about bringing foreign students to Japan, but it also works the other way around, with universities looking to send their students overseas to gain valuable real-world experience. What kind of ecosystem do you provide to your students to allow them experience overseas? Are you looking for more partnerships with international universities in order to broaden the scope of your exchange programs?
We have slightly more than 100 MOUs, and those are in partnership with overseas universities. We started with more Asian universities but have now expanded to have partners in France, Spain, Mexico, and many other locations. There is also an international exchange consortium called UMAP which we are a part of. We send and receive students through this consortium. We are now in the active process of increasing the number of MOUs we are engaged in.
Meijo University is one of the leading universities of the Chubu region and you are looking to attract more foreign students to come and study here. Could you describe to us some of the benefits and unique aspects of the Chubu region?
The charm of Chubu lies in the fact that it is right in the center of Japan’s industry. You can learn and be part of cutting-edge research along with contributing to the social application of that research. Chubu is also considered a sort of condensed amalgamation of all of the goodness of Japan. There are those who are predicting that in 100 years there will only be urban centers like Tokyo. Nagoya is considered one of the very few cities that will remain strong since it is the center of manufacturing.
You might have visited Himeji Castle as it is the most visited castle in Japan, located in Hyogo prefecture. The castle itself was designed by a shogun born in Aichi. This area is rich in history that is very fascinating to non-Japanese and Japanese alike.
Studio Ghibli Park is nearby on the East side of Nagoya, a name that is very famous among anime fans. I think the local area is a place where modern technology meets past traditions along with bountiful nature.
What message would you like to convey to the world about Meijo University?
In two years we are commemorating a major anniversary, our 100th year of existence. Our founder taught with the philosophy of nature human beings who can apply their skills readily in society and contribute to growth. This has been the core spirit and mission of our university ever since. Moving forward, we want to expand that mission on a global basis, transmitting the uniqueness of Chubu to the world.
For more information, visit: www.meijo-u.ac.jp/english/generaliinfo
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