FEATURE: New Program to Support University Internationalization

Interview with

JSPS President Prof. Motoyuki Ono

Prof. Motoyuki Ono

What do you think of the overall state of internationalization within Japanese universities?

As scientific research is universal in nature, universities must be places that transcend national borders in attracting outstanding people to them. This said, efforts to develop the international posture of Japanese universities have up till now been left too much to individual researchers. There is still way too little systematic, strategic effort being made in this direction. Having persisted for many years, this problem requires urgent solution if frontier science and technology is to be advanced in Japan. Our university system is currently undergoing its first major reform since the new higher education system was established in 1949 after the war. We should take advantage of this golden opportunity to also enhance the international complexion of Japanese universities.

What is JSPS's role in implementing the new university internationalization program?

It will be JSPS's task to survey the international programs of 20 universities selected as pilot institutions under the program. We will identify their successful practices, while surveying those of overseas universities as well. Next, we will use these examples to create model international strategies in the 20 universities. Then, we will disseminate the fruits gained from applying these models to other universities in Japan.

As you know, JSPS has a long history of supporting universities through its international collaboration and fellowship programs. It's our desire to build upon this experience in providing even greater support to them. Establishing internationalization strategies and building infrastructure upon which to execute them will be advantageous to universities in terms of enhancing their standing in the selection process of various funding programs.

What do you see as being most important in creating international strategies at universities?

Viewed from a broad perspective, internationalization encompasses a range of issues from university program planning, organization and implementation, to securing qualified educators and administrators while working to enhance their performance, to improving services offered to overseas researchers. To advance such internationalization, a fusion will need to be achieved between top-down management and bottom-up initiative. The sort of university governance that overarches all departments will need to be established if internationalization activities are to be implemented in a flexible and effective manner. Concurrently, the researchers, educators and administrators who carry out these activities must themselves work to energize their programs by instilling them with an "internal internationalization." It will be important to strike a balance between such self-initiative and overall university governance.

How do you view the path ahead?

It will be necessary to look at the steps universities take in this direction and the results they achieve over a 5-year period. Building models should not be our ultimate objective; they must be used to transmit both a message and a vision to the universities.

Internationalizing universities is an all-embracing process-one with ramifications over a spectrum of higher education, foreign student and S&T policies. To be successful, therefore, this process mandates close coordination among the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), JSPS, the universities, and other program affiliates.