The discourse of knowledge-based society, which has been spread worldwide, has attracted attention among many. However, the substance of knowledge-based society has not yet been clarified. This article examines the process and mechanism of development of highly qualified human resources in the chemical industry to show one direction of the empirical approach toward knowledge-based society. The chemical industry in Japan employed more graduate students among all other manufacturing industries in the 1960s; in the process of structural changes from petro chemical to fine chemicals in the 1970s and mid- 1980s it began to recruit more graduate students from various fields of study. In the late 1980s and 1990s, the chemical industry laid more emphasis on Research and Development (R&D), and also increased the employment opportunities for doctoral students. But, R&D and highly qualified human resources in the chemical industry show signs of decay at the start of the twenty-first century due to the global competition and declining population. Many factors affect the development of a knowledge-based society and a knowledge- based society does not necessarily develop linearly. Therefore, a research theme or area of knowledge-based society continually requires of us the historical verification.

This paper discusses how undergraduate students choose their majors and how universities support students’ decision making. In Japan, university applicants are required to choose schools/colleges. They often have to decide upon a department or major in which they wish to graduate. Recently, some universities adopted “late specialization,” which allows students to delay their decisions. Japanese universities have a long tradition wherein schools/colleges control students’ enrollments. “Late specialization” does not mean students can get into universities with a “undecided” status. Students are always required to make decisions on schools/colleges. Once students have matriculated, they are not expected to change affiliations. In the U.S., the system of students choosing majors is more flexible. Even though students are required to choose their prospective majors when they apply to universities, their choices are not final. Students are allowed to explore general education and ask academic advisors’ help. Not small numbers of students change initial considerations before declaring majors. In addition, students can choose the undecided status. Some universities have divisions that accommodate students who are still exploring their options. The divisions prepare opportunities to help students make their own study plans. Based on the different admission structures for choosing majors, we should consider what we can learn regarding students’ self-development by exploring majors, and how universities can help students working on these processes.

With the quality of university education being discussed as a hot topic, efforts are being made to improve individual courses, including that of the introduction of active learning- based courses. In Liberal Arts departments, however, the discussion has included the merits of specialized curricula vis-a-vis the broad curricula. Based on the results of a survey conducted among students belonging to a Liberal Arts department, the academic activities of students in search of specialized education versus those who were in search of a broad education with the incorporation of Liberal Arts curricula were compared. The results revealed that the students in search of specialized education exhibited higher degrees of effort in their classes. Consequently, this suggests that Liberal Arts departments should introduce curricula that guide students toward specialized education.

This paper examines the concept that is applied in Japanese university education in Liberal Arts. The basic information, diploma policy, and curriculum policy in the faculties of the Arts and Sciences since April 2016 have been used for the analysis. I have especially focused on analyzing the title of the field wherein the concept represents Liberal Arts in specialized education. Liberal Arts, as specialized education, contains traditional academic disciplines, interdisciplinary fields, and vocational education that is required today. I also analyzed the data of the diploma policy in the faculty of Arts and Sciences in the cluster analysis as a text analysis and content analysis. As a result, the faculty of Arts and Sciences provides opportunities for students to learn through university education, and it expects students to acquire “a learning skill” through liberal arts as specialized education.

The society’s demands for university education and research have been increasing. Consequently, the role of university management teams, which lead reform, is also becoming increasingly important. Further, Japanese university management personnel have insufficient experience in advanced training and follow the main trend of cultivating personnel based on work experience.

The purpose of this paper is to clarify the current status of educational programs and the challenges that university management teams face with a focus on training for senior management positions at universities. The main points of the article are thus outlined. First, in many programs, training differentiated from the developers of the training is being conducted; however, after conducting an analysis of the lecture themes and presentations of both the training materials, we can say that similar content is being presented. Second, the main trend is to learn basic knowledge about higher education, university policies, policy trends, and case reports from the lectures. Third, a recent trend has been the growth of new output educational programs, such as discussions among the participants. A training program conducted for the targeted subjects, such as new appointees, has been increasing; however, almost no training programs are available for training deans.

With respect to more such essential challenges in Japan, unlike that of the West, the external market for senior management positions in universities is not being developed because subsidy measures dictate strong policy guidance, and it is difficult to perceive the need for strategic management at universities. It is becoming necessary to change this environment while also opening up senior management positions at universities.

Japanese university staff is going to be required to work more creatively in the near future. However, the current level of creative work in university workplaces has not been identified clearly. This paper reports on a questionnaire survey of 393 university staff, many of whom were members of academic societies and/or had studied at graduate school. The survey assessed their use of 27 abilities in their everyday work, related to generating improvements, and designing and implementing new projects. The results demonstrated that creative work requires more time than everyday work, to collect and analyze information, and consult with diverse stakeholders prior to implementation. It also discovered that staff in lower positions can gain an understanding of how managers work through their involvement in creative projects.

To reform the management of universities, the Japanese government revised the law related to higher education by strengthening the authority of its presidents. The government recognizes the faculty members as its “resistance force” toward the presidents. When viewing the president and the faculty in such confrontational relationships, it is important to understand the position of the “Dean,” who is the director of the faculty meeting. The way in which the role of the Dean should be defined has not been mentioned in the amendments. The purpose of this research was to clarify the role and activities of deans. I mentioned that there are two types of dean leadership. One is the leadership to organize faculty members according to the president’s intention, and the other is leadership based on the authority specific to the dean. And, therein underlies a conflict between the two types. In this research, I interviewed three deans from the Ritsumeikan Academy who confirmed that this conflict exists. Further, they revealed how they resolve this conflict.

This is a study based on the ways in which Oxford University changed its financial management processes and established a financial base. I chose this subject as I understand that no previous research in this area has been conducted. I used the University’s financial statements of the period as evidence.

I divided the period into two parts, from 1980/1981 to 1988/1989 and 1989/1990 to 1992/1993, for the study. The Thatcher government reduced the UGC grant in 1981; this placed a great strain on the University’s finances, and in 1985‒1986 and 1987‒1988 there has been a deficit of over £1 M pounds every year. An attempt was made by the University accounts to use the “University brand” to raise money through donations. The resultant effect was startling. By 1994, the university was receiving £340 M in the form of donations; this figure was nearly three times more than that of the total university funds (£128 M) of 1988/1989. The success of this drive was to strengthen the University brand. The University also benefited from the increase in the tuition fee revenue and the fact that the University offices were allowed, as from 1992, to control the Research Council Grants.

This study aims to analyze university admission trends in the Chiba prefecture. The government decided to keep limited numbers of those entering a university in twenty-three wards of Tokyo. The policy’s aim is to not admit too many Tokyo students. Admission in a university in the Chiba prefecture is affected by admission to university in Tokyo because the Chiba prefecture is next to the capital, Tokyo. This study analyzes successful candidate and enrollment student data by comparing the data from Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo. The results indicate that successful candidates have high academic abilities that increase in the Chiba Prefecture; however, student enrollment is decreased. Nevertheless, student enrollment is increased in Tokyo

This paper examines the functioning of the home economics department, which was established as a faculty in a new university after the war. Based on the process of the establishment of the Faculty of Home Economics, the focus was on the position of “Home Economics Principles,” established on the philosophy of home economics. In addition, focusing on the transition of the department, the degree of faculty, the title of the doctoral thesis, which are the elements that constitute the home economics department, were analyzed based on the data derived from school. The focus of the analysis is to clarify that a structural problem exists “at the postwar home economics department, wherein the core is weak and the surroundings are strong.” As a result of the examination, it was found that the objective of the study was derived from the conventional home economics field and had deepened thereof.

This paper examines the relationship between location and scale in private university management by analyzing the financial contents and student numbers of private universities. It attempts to clarify the optimal scale for the stable management of private universities by combining location population and university admission rates as a condition of location and numbers of students as a condition of scale.

The analysis revealed the following three findings: (1)smaller universities are more difficult to manage in areas with less population; (2)smaller universities are more difficult to manage in areas with low university admission rates; (3) universities with student populations of 4,000 or more tend to be stable except for certain location conditions.

These findings revealed that the location and scale of the university affect private university management.

Evidence- Based Policymaking（ EBPM ）is currently being promoted by the central government of Japan. The proponents insist that public policy should be based on hard evidence, rather than episodic nor soft measures. The development of rational decision making in the public sector originates from the principles of scientific management, PPBS, and recently NPM. Some scholars criticize this series of approaches, which have long since emerged, been trialed, implemented and failed. In this paper, we adopt a balanced approach to the proponents and critics of EBPM, from a political, economic, and social rational perspective. We propose that the educational policy governing higher education should not only drive economic growth, but must also support higher education as a democratic, cultural, and social institution. After offering a brief presentation of the character and methods of EBPM, we review the practices and lessons learned from EBPM, in leading nations such as the United States and United Kingdom. Finally, future issues for EBPM in higher education, especially in Japan, are discussed.