Japanese University and College Educational Information

Message- Interview with Japanese universities

Japan, a country of many faces ranging from traditional beauty and elegant simplicity to cutting-edge high tech gadgets, fashion and manga-animations of international fame, beckons you to visit and study. But you may hesitate because your Japanese language skills are next to none.

Don't worry.

The School of Global Japanese Studies (GJS) at Meiji University in the heart of Tokyo is offering a brand-new English-based program, starting 2011, to help you explore the magical world of Japan in your stride. Students in this program can earn all credits in English and take a Bachelor of Arts degree. They can gain a thorough understanding of Japanese cultures, both old and new, and social systems which have attracted worldwide attention as "Cool Japan." (see the following pages (External Link))

Don't miss this wonderful opportunity!

When you look at the Japanese economy alone, it is in the midst of a long, slow slide into recession. The country's high economic growth, which once made the world envious, may be a thing of the past. But there is another brighter side to the story. Instead of an industrial powerhouse, Japan is re-emerging as a global trend-setter in various culture categories such as pop music, architecture, fashion, cuisine and animation and design.

In a report published in Foreign Policy magazine in 2002, Douglas McGray, an American writer, dubbed Japan's global cultural influence "Japan's Gross National Cool," as opposed to the economic growth indicator of GNP(gross national product).

"Japan looks more like a cultural superpower today than it did in the 1980s, when it was an economic one," he pointed out.

Many others agreed. Joseph Nye, a Harvard University professor who served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs in the Clinton administration, stressed on the importance of a nation's values, culture and policies in international affairs in his 2004 book "Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics."

Politics aside, Japan's soft power has grown dramatically. Now, roughly 60 percent of the world's animated cartoon series are made in Japan. Japanese makers dominate the video-game universe. Pokemon and other game characters are in the hearts of children around the world. Hello Kitty is ubiquitous. Japanese fashion designers flourish all over the world, while Japanese films, music and magazines are often trend-setters in Asia. Many other examples abound.

Make a long story short, Japan is a very exciting place to stay and study. Explore the old and new faces of Japan by yourself. And thereby hangs a tale.