The education ministry plans to enhance backing for graduate schools collaborating with overseas institutions, focusing on societal issues like artificial intelligence and the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals. The objective is to cultivate globally competitive professionals in humanities and social sciences capable of applying their knowledge in practical contexts. Often perceived as less connected to real-world concerns compared to science-related counterparts, graduate schools in fields like law and literature are deemed less responsive to societal needs.
In response to the current situation, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has initiated collaboration with graduate schools and industry partners in Japan to back liberal arts graduate programs addressing societal challenges. With this assistance, Ryukoku University, the University of the Ryukyus, and Kyoto Bunkyo University will commence a collaborative educational and research initiative in the academic year 2025, with the goal of nurturing individuals capable of addressing local issues. Starting from the 2024 academic year, support will also be provided to graduate schools establishing connections with international universities and organizations to investigate contemporary global social issues.
The ministry will assist graduate schools in promoting student and faculty exchanges with international institutions, participating in joint presentations at global conferences, and producing more research papers in foreign languages. Subsidies of up to ¥40 million per year will be allocated over a six-year period, with four schools being recruited for the upcoming academic year. The motivation behind supporting humanities and social sciences graduate programs stems from the low number of students in these fields pursuing postgraduate studies. While approximately 40% of science and engineering students pursue graduate education, only 4% of humanities students and 2% of social sciences majors pursue master's or PhD programs. These figures are notably lower compared to international counterparts, leading to a shortage of Japanese personnel in U.N. organizations, where a master's degree is typically a requirement.
