Japanese universities: Change or risk marginalization

Following 20 years teaching at a Japanese university, I found myself working at an overseas institution where the level of academic rigor, and staff and student assessment are remarkably higher, and the decision-making significantly more efficient. By contrasting my former Japanese university with the institution where I am presently employed, I conclude that Japanese universities need to take radical steps to reform and upgrade in order to stay competitive in a very competitive global environment. Copyright © 2011 The Japan Association for Language Teaching.