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Tanaka's judgment to deny the universities' establishment runs counter to the standards that her own ministry issued. It's not a credible decision, as it's outside the realm of the authority of an edu

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Yasutaka Abe, a lawyer and professor emeritus of Kobe University, criticizing Education Minister Makiko Tanaka for her unilateral and sudden denial of proposals to establish three new universities that the ministry had already recognized as having met the criteria for establishment. (Yomiuri Shimbun)

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"outside the realm of authority of an education minister"?

Really? Then why did the Council for University Chartering and School Judicial Persons submit its recommendation directly to Tanaka for official approval in the first place? Logic fail!

And this guy's a lawyer and a scholar? I think he needs to read the Constitution: ministers are in charge of ministries, not bureaucrats and boffins.

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Just learning about this issue and saw the nearly completed uni on TV. So, what happens to all the buildings now?

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Yes heaven forbid the minister put a stop to the shame universities that are leech money from the tax payers. She's right - far too many universities in Japan and the quality is pathetic. These folks who are complaining are the ones upset that they won't be able to line their pockets.

And who builds unis and accepts students before they have the okay?! Idiots, that's who. Greedy idiots.

Go Tanaka! Japan needs more ministers like you!

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And who builds unis and accepts students before they have the okay?! Idiots, that's who.

They need to open the place then apply for agreements. There is no other way than betting huge investment. To get the OK for a school. a team comes to inspect the building and test the equipment. So that would be hard before everything is finished. Then, for the teaching, your employers didn't explain you ? You've never been involved in the process ? When they start a new uni or senmon gakko degree, they even have several years of students that won't get the official degree, as it may not yet be approved by the time they graduate. Even for Japanese teachers, they are not getting the same contracts while it's pending, so it's not easy to convince the good ones to leave secure long term engagements... Well, I don't like that industry, but they are not having it easy at all when they create a new degree.

upset that they won't be able to line their pockets.

You've created many new businesses investing millions and you've lined your pocket easily ? What part of your savings is in a venture business of any kind ?

universities that are leech money from the tax payers.

Most are private. They don't get one yen from monkasho. They even pay all kinds of fees to get approved.

the quality is pathetic.

I take your word for that, but you can't accuse the newcomers before they even start. Closing the door to new entrants is a way to keep the bad ones in business. If they are no better competitors, the students will be forced to keep choosing the substandard unis.

And this guy's a lawyer and a scholar? I think he needs to read the Constitution: ministers are in charge of ministries, not bureaucrats and boffins.

You're the clueless one. Ministers are not dictators in real life. They only have executive power, limited by existing laws and established rules. And nobody has the power to both make the laws and apply them. It's called separation of powers. The way for a Japanese minister to change a law is to propose the change to the Diet.

Then why did the Council for University Chartering and School Judicial Persons submit its recommendation directly to Tanaka for official approval in the first place? Logic fail!

They don't. They submit by the channel of her ministry. the staff screens application using the official criteria, and she has to sign when it reaches her desk. If she puts her veto, it has to be motivated by some exceptional circumstances. If it's her policy to change criteria, she has to get the screening process changed. But maybe having her in charge is already exceptional circumstances...

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Cos, if you think these schools aren't owned by another uni and don't take money from taxpayers it is you who is clueless.

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for her unilateral and sudden denial of proposals to establish three new universities that the ministry had already recognized as having met the criteria for establishment

Unclear. Is the Ministry establishing them, or is some private entity?

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They are establishing them but what the backing of the ministry to have them recognized universities.

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Unclear. Is the Ministry establishing them, or is some private entity?

In this case, the ministry is only delivering (refusing) authorizations. Anybody can open a school, but if the Ministry doesn't authorize you to get uni title, you are like ECC or the Culture Centers, degrees you deliver are not recognized at all.

if you think these schools aren't owned by another uni

Some are, and the other unis are often already private. Most of the 800 are not getting public sponsoring.

don't take money from taxpayers

I'd prefer seeing them taking even more money from taxpayer and the Monkasho modernizing its way of thinking. It's them that force schools and unis to teach like the Chinese in 1800, mandarin system, no concern about content and its usefulness, just testing in order to give people, students and teachers, their rank in that closed circuit society. Yes, you are right, some unis are bad, and they should reform, or close. But that's not the point here. Tanaka refused opening a new uni of medicine. At that point, that should be an emergency measure. The ministries of health and education should fund totally a dozen of them and even pay all tuitions to train more nurses, doctors and other carers, that are in dire need in Japan and worldwide.

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No, it isn't. The unis teach like this because "this is how its always been done". A fine example is the mumbusho telling English teachers that classes must be done in English and them all ignoring it. The mumbusho doesn't sit down and tell them exactly how and what to teach. The idiots at the top who have been in the system for years do that - and they need to be held accountable.

Just because a uni is for medicine doesn't make it a good uni. PLENTY of cases here of unis taking bribes to get their kids in who couldn't get in via the reg entrance methods. You think those unis are of quality?

These unis DO get public sponsoring and funding. Many unis here live on handouts from the government. Those that don't STILL get money from the government for all kinds of reasons. I'd rather have feweer unis, less tax money being spent on the crappy places and Tanaka cleaning house.

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@Cos

I have to agree with Smith's comment about your clueless-ness

"nobody has the power to both make the laws and apply them." Mind-boggling statement that I can't even begin to rip apart. Anyway, she's not making any laws or implementing them. She refused to rubber-stamp a recommendation given to her by her advisory council. Doh!

"They submit by the channel of her ministry." But the council is advisory panel....to Tanaka. Double doh!You understand what "advisory" means, I hope. And that IS a rather direct channel, don't you think?

"the staff screens application using the official criteria, and she has to sign when it reaches her desk." "has to sign"?! Ah, so that's why we elect officials, to rubber-stamp the instrucutions of the unelected. Democracy in action!

"If she puts her veto, it has to be motivated by some exceptional circumstances." Approving a "women's university" in the 21st century is pretty exceptional, I'd say. Not to mention that the 800 universities will one day equal the total number of freshmen in Japan. Exceptional the to max!

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