Higher education in Japan

Higher education has not been an important element in Japan's rise to the status of an economic superpower. While education through high school is rigorous and demanding, that of colleges and universities is not. Despite the lack of academic rigor, institutions of higher education are highly selective in their admission standards especially the prestigeous ''national universities''. Once admitted, students are virtually guaranteed a degree which serves as their passport to success in life. The higher the status of the university, the better the employment prospects for students. This system is causing growing concern in Japan as the intellectual demands of modern society require a large pool of well-educated manpower, a need that higher education is not meeting.