Okinawa residents who were selected to study abroad before the island prefecture was returned to Japan's sovereignty in 1972 formed a friendship group called Kinmon (Golden Gate) Club. They named their friendship group after the symbol of San Francisco where they entered the United States.
Former Okinawa Gov. and former House of Councillors member Masahide Ota is one of them. He was able to make straightforward assertions about the concentration of U.S. bases in the prefecture and visit Washington to hold negotiations with top U.S. officials apparently because of his experience of studying in the country.
It is exciting to learn something in an unknown world and use that knowledge for the benefit of society. The youths of today should be more proactive about studying, even if they do not have any particular sense of mission. (By Kenji Tamaki, expert senior writer)
That is to say,
study abroad so that you can shaft the Yanks in words they understand.
So that's what globalisation means, eh readers?
4 comments:
Hilariously pointless editorial. Though it certainly started off as though it was going to have a point.
A nice line: "Moreover, a growing number of students are shying away from entering overseas universities as they would be required to study harder." One we can't doubt, but I like that the writer didn't fee he had to substantiate it for readers.
I read recently that there are only five Japanese undergraduate students enrolled at Harvard. Only one in the most recent freshman class. How many Chinese? Four hundred and sixty-three (apples to apples: versus 101 Japanese, including graduate students).
The question of subsidies seems moot: Japanese have no interest in studying abroad.
I am frankly bored of this meme. The US papers went on about it first, sad to see Japan is picking up on it.
What proof do any of these writers actually have that the Japanese youth of today, as a whole, are more "insular", beyond not wanting to blow cash overseas at a time of scarcity? And who said US universities were the epitome of "international" anyway. I will give you the elite US universities - but is that all we really care about?
We have many more Japanese students in NZ than we ever have (and US students too for that matter - cheap fees and pretty decent quality institutions). I am sure the same is true for China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Korea etc.
Also, amongst my own group of Japanese friends (I am a Gen Yer myself), many without a university education, there is no lack of people who have traveled overseas for extended backpacking holidays, and they are certainly more open minded than their more educated elders. Or at least, less annoying and pretentious.
I think really what we are seeing is a reduction in elite validation through overseas study, and much more genuine internationalisation at the grass roots, whether we are talking business, travel, or whatever.
Our Man studied abroad for a term, but that was in the days of grants and maintenance fees. He was even paid double to study for a semester in a US college. It was a dying papermill town and used to have 25-cent draughts at happy hour.
Those were the days. Cheers to a bit of internationalism on he public purse!
The word "Study Abroad" passes on to options in international education accessible to students wishing to get degrees from universities and colleges in other parts of the world.
http://www.futureguider.com/Study_Abroad/Study%20Abroad.htm
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