Editorial: Don't be shy about study abroad

[GodEmperorLeto]

Found here. Reprinted below for your convenience.

A recent report has found that fewer Japanese students than ever are studying abroad. After a peak in the early 1990s, the numbers have declined to the lowest level in years. Remaining in Japan without experiencing life abroad will have repercussions that may last far into the future. More students should be encouraged to set aside the immediate demands of the next entrance exam or job hunt and experience the world.

Spending time in a foreign situation is part of becoming aware of and sympathetic with international and intercultural issues. Knowing the world through direct experience is part of maturing as an individual. This cannot always be accomplished within the walls of the classroom, even with an Internet connection. Students need to spend time learning languages, honing communicative skills, and understanding other societies and ways of life in person.



Learned attitudes and real experiences are especially important since the future will be increasingly international, like it or not. Not only large companies but even small businesses will compete directly with foreign firms. What will be needed is not so much high-level business training as a cross-cultural sense. The future competitiveness of a nation in seclusion is dubious.

Business, though, is only one reason to expand overseas studies. Japan is already increasingly engaged with foreign cultures. Whether by films, fashion or food, a more thorough and sensitive understanding helps focus on positive elements of foreign cultures and filter out negative attitudes and destructive habits that make their way around the globe with increasing ease. A nation whose citizens have little experience abroad lacks this intercultural perspective.

In contrast to business and government, students import experiences at a human level and can be trusted to bring in what is most beneficial. The overseas experience of individuals counterbalances the decisions of other potentially monopolizing sectors of society. Sending students abroad one by one is the most democratic way to ensure that Japan does not become dependent on business or government as the only source for new ideas, and that international politics works at a personal level.

Not every student in Japan must study abroad, but steps should be taken to give a gentle push to make it easier for those who want to. Already, at many universities with exchange programs, the imbalance has become a serious concern. Foreign students are coming, but Japanese are not going. It may be that the only students who tend to go nowadays are already mature, strong and open-minded. The gentle push for the those who want to go should take the form of government assistance, both logistic and economic, as well as broader choices in exchange programs. High schools and universities need to make it easier for students to delay graduation and then fit back into the system. Afraid of simply being out of step with their peers, or graduating a semester late, many students decide to stay home.

Companies need to reconsider their hiring systems and place more value on students with international experiences. The job search process has already become part of college students' third year — just when most students could be going abroad. Because of the pressure of job hunting, most students take the safe and sure route and remain in Japan for interviews and job seminars rather than challenge themselves abroad.

The argument that something is missed while one is out of Japan rings false. Studies on students returning from abroad reveal that they learn more about Japan while overseas than at home. Students report they are not only more motivated to learn after going abroad, but learn valuable lessons that complement, rather than conflict, with their education in Japan. Ironically, rather than force slavish mimicking of Western ways, study abroad helps reaffirm the essential qualities of Japan.

The warning signs of an inward-looking nationalism in Japanese politics and society are obvious. Study abroad is one way to reverse that trend and turn outward toward communication and understanding. In this regard, Japan has as much to learn from nearby Southeast and East Asian countries as from the West. Exchange programs with those countries are just as important as with other educationally developed countries and should be expanded.

Most importantly, studying abroad implants an active and open approach to learning, and to life. Maturity, thoughtfulness and ability to make decisions are just several of the many qualities that students can acquire abroad. When added up student by student, they have the potential to change the nature of Japan's future national character, for the better.

This is not the first time I've heard people talk about the growth of Japanese nationalism and the increase of inward-thinking and isolationist policies. A friend of mine who is over there wrote the following on his blog:

...I'm fearing more and more that the Japanese government is slowly turning into the machine that will want more war. There are tell-tale signs all over the place.

What has happened to the young Japanese people that were growing up during the outward-looking 1990s? From what I understood, the Japanese youth of the '90s wanted more contact with the outside world. Now that they have entered the workforce and the voting populace, the nation is becoming more isolationist? I'm sorry to say, I can't necessarily understand why.

[Mars Man]

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that! I don't know about the details, so I can't say much. I wouldn't worry that much about Japan going nationalistic anytime too soon--right wingish? maybe, but nationalistic to the extent that a war is wanted?. . . no, I don't think so. MM

[pipokun]

Youtube search: kagekiha, extremist

I prefer now and I highly appreciate youtube.

[GodEmperorLeto]

Originally Posted by Mars Man

Interesting. Thanks for sharing that! I don't know about the details, so I can't say much. I wouldn't worry that much about Japan going nationalistic anytime too soon--right wingish? maybe, but nationalistic to the extent that a war is wanted?. . . no, I don't think so. MM

I'm concerned only because I've seen the lessening of Japanese students at my job over the past two years. Out of every hundred or so students, the Japanese numbered about five per session. Now, out of four hundred total students, they only amount to three, total, this session. (FYI a session is about 2 months--8 weeks of English classes, 5 days a week).

Anyway, my friend in Japan has had a rough time. Granted, he's in Kyoto, and I think that has something to do with it. But I've never really seen him write with this sort of unhappiness about his life there before. He's decided not to stay, as opposed to what his original goal was, as well as his feelings a month ago. Him saying that about war is uncharacteristic of him, so it really bothers me that things over there have upset him so much.

In addition, the amending of the Japanese constitution has many of my Korean and Taiwanese students very upset. They feel that Japan doesn't need to be able to deploy their troops offensively unless they intend to someday. They feel that the Japanese will try again to dominate Korea. How much this fear is well-grounded, I cannot say.

Pipokun, I unfortunately cannot read Japanese that well. In fact, my Japanese is almost non-existent (both reading and speaking/listening). If you can find a link to that stuff in English, I'd be most appreciative. Thanks anyway, though. (Note, I searched for that stuff in romaji and nothing turned up.)

[pipokun]

When your teaching style is provocative one to encourage students to express more opinions (I like the style), ask Korean students about the Vietnam war and what the Korean govenment did after the war.
And if the student is a history textbook loving guy, ask him/her how many sentence is in their textbook. As far as I know, it has so simple discription in the Korean book.
If the class is lucky enough to have Korean, Chinese and Japanese students.
It may be an interesting idea to discuss the Korean war.

I think the people who must be upset on the amending of the Japanese constitution is American people, if it would be really ultra-militalistic one.

[GodEmperorLeto]

Originally Posted by pipokun

...ask Korean students about the Vietnam war and what the Korean govenment did after the war.

Okay. I don't have many Koreans this session, but I'll see about next session.

If the class is lucky enough to have Korean, Chinese and Japanese students.
It may be an interesting idea to discuss the Korean war.

Actually, what dismays me is how little the Korean students actually know about the Korean War. Despite the fact that many consider it one of America's "forgotten wars", many of us know a lot about it because some of our fathers/uncles/grandfathers fought in it. Nevertheless, many of my Korean students know next-to-nothing about it compared to us. That puzzles the living daylights out of me, because they are the ones living with the immediate aftermath of it right on their doorstep.

I think the people who must be upset on the amending of the Japanese constitution is American people, if it would be really ultra-militalistic one.

Really? Actually, I don't really think the United States government or the American people really believe the Japanese would dream of resurrecting the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere. If the Japanese rebuilding their military and intervening overseas takes some of the burden off of our shoulders, I don't see us really having a problem with that.

[Arabic Boy]

Originally Posted by GodEmperorLeto

takes some of the burden off of our shoulders.

So you really belive that the U.S.A trying to make the world a better place ??

who do you think gave BIN LADEN his wepons ?? and Saddam too

you don't know nothing bro.

[Bucko]

Originally Posted by Arabic Boy

So you really belive that the U.S.A trying to make the world a better place ??
who do you think gave BIN LADEN his wepons ?? and Saddam too
you don't know nothing bro.

Huh?

[bakaKanadajin]

The entire G8 is following suit to some degree, there's increased nationalism and domestic focus in France, the US itself is obviously continuing to do its thing spending record amounts on defense, Britain and Canada are full on participants in the war on terror (Canada is committed in Afghanistan until 2009 and there is a good chance we'll extend the mission), and Japan, a close ally of the US and a dependent when it comes to regional security against North Korea and China, is following suit as well.

I think the main thing is that the Japanese public, relatively apathetic and isolated, are feeling the squeeze. They live in a well developed, peaceful society that's been void of internal conflict for quite a long time. A bit of a sleeping dragon. With all the rhetoric flying around it's not surprising they don't feel safe leaving the country. An unfortunate political trickle-down.

But my personal experience (I don't know how strong it is in relation to the downward trend) is that many of my students had plans to study abroad, to travel, and many at least had an interest. In Toronto here, there are a lot of Japanese people studying here for 9-12 month periods. Whether those numbers are down overall or not I do not know.

There's a lot of distrust in the world in general these days unfortunately.

[Glenski]

A couple of things to consider:

Numbers of students studying abroad are down, yes, but so are the number of students that exist in Japan. Negative birthrate, y'know. http://home.kyodo.co.jp/modules/fstS...storyid=314071

Also, overall the numbers are going down, but according to this report, the number of undergraduates is up (as of 2005 anyway).
http://www.enterprise-ireland.com/Ed...ing+Abroad.htm

Students report they are not only more motivated to learn after going abroad,

I would like to know when these students were surveyed and if there was a follow-up survey. I ask this because I used to work for a few years in a private HS (a place with plenty of money to send most kids in JHS and SH overseas for 10-14 days), and immediately after kids came back, they spoke and wrote about how much they wanted to learn more English in order to communicate better with people abroad. Two weeks later, their motivation to study English fizzled out. So, timing of the survey makes a lot of difference.

Third, I would like to know if there is any relationship between studying abroad and business abroad. Many people claim that Japanese are studying for MBAs abroad, then taking the information back home. How true is this? I don't know.

And, as for nationlism on the rise, I wouldn't count chickens before they hatch. What you hear about this is (probably) mostly a government perspective. Look at the outrage from citizens on the new education law which seems to promote such nationalism. Clearly, the regular people (including teachers) are not for it 100%. http://www.wsws.org/articles/2007/ja...japa-j03.shtml

[名無し]

Originally Posted by GodEmperorLeto

Found here. Reprinted below for your convenience.

The warning signs of an inward-looking nationalism in Japanese politics and society are obvious.

The whole article is for misleading readers with malicious intentions.

The primary reason for decreasing Japanese students studying abroad is, foreign exchange rate. At the peak in 1990s, just 80 yen could buy a US dollar. Now one US dollar is 120 yen. In other words they cannot afford it anymore.

Difficulties in job search is a lie too. There are Japanese job agencies for foreign students, regularly holding job fairs in large cities outside Japan for decades.

Whoever wrote the story must have been thinking that readers were clueless on the topic.