Some terrible news has come out of Japan today.
Many social sciences and humanities faculties in Japan are to close after universities were ordered to “serve areas that better meet society’s needs”.
Of the 60 national universities that offer courses in these disciplines, 26 have confirmed that they will either close or scale back their relevant faculties at the behest of Japan’s government.
It follows a letter from education minister Hakuban Shimomura sent to all of Japan’s 86 national universities, which called on them to take “active steps to abolish [social science and humanities] organisations or to convert them to serve areas that better meet society’s needs”.
The ministerial decree has been denounced by one university president as “anti-intellectual”, while the universities of Tokyo and Kyoto, regarded as the country’s most prestigious, have said that they will not comply with the request.
However, 17 national universities will stop recruiting students to humanities and social science courses – including law and economics, according to a survey of university presidents …
I agree that it is possible for a country to produce a surplus of social scientists and lawyers. I would suggest that Japan’s economic stagnation stems from the opposite problem. More and better economists could help Japan to produce better economic policies. More and better IR scholarship could allow Japan to improve its relations with its neighbouring countries. Professors who teach about the languages and cultures of mainland Asia could help to improve understanding with these fast-growing economies. More and better professors of English could improve the generally poor level of English in the country, which would definitely help the country to be more competitive. An end to the artificial restrictions on the supply of lawyers could promote economic efficiency.
Thank god Japan has private universities that don’t have to listen to stupid ministerial decrees.
Note how the Minister responsible for this stupid decree is one of the idiotic right-wingers in the cabinet of Shinzo Abe and has defended the policies pursued by Japan during the Second World War. Any first-year IR student in the West would be able to tell you why, say, rescinding Japan’s apology to the Korean comfort union might be bad for Japan’s economy.
What a moron!
The Past Speaks 