30 Top Japanese Universities

30 Top Japanese Universities

1 University of Tokyo 2 Kyoto University 3 Osaka University 4 Tokyo Institute of Technology 5 Tohoku University 6 Keio University 7 Kyushu University 8 Nagoya University 9 Hokkaido University 10 Tsukuba University 11 Kobe University 12 Chiba University 13 Waseda University 14 Hiroshima University 15 Kanazawa University 16 Okayama University 17 Tokyo University of Science 18 Tokyo Metropolitan University 19 Tokyo Medical and Dental University 20 Osaka City University 21 Niigata University 22 Kumamoto University 23 Tokushima University 24 Osaka Prefectural University 25 Gifu University 26 Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 27 Yokohama National University 28 Yamaguchi University 29 Nagoya City University 30 Kagoshima University

Background: In 2001 the Ministry of Education proposed to change the funding model to strengthen the "Top 30" universities. Among the various "Top 30" lists floated at the time, this one, attributed to the prep school Kawaijuku, is probably the most useful.

It was based on four factors: research funding (Kaken only), citations of research publications, entrance exam difficulty, and a reputation survey.

Weaknesses: This ranking was done to identify "world class research universities" as seen in strengths in science and engineering. For public universities this gives a reasonable approximation to an overall quality ranking, because Japanese public universities have fairly similar profiles, and so strength in one area tends to be matched by strength across the board, including in recruiting good students and in educating them well. Private universities, however, tend to have different profiles, including strengths in education and in the humanities which are not reflected in this ranking. Thus in a list of the truly best, Waseda and Keio would probably belong near the top, and other private universities, including Sophia, International Christian University, Meiji, and Nihon, would probably also be mentioned. Some smaller, specialized universities, such as The Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, The University of Electro-Communications, The Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and Hitotsubashi University would probably also deserve a place.

Purpose: My reason for hosting this list was the lack of good information on Japanese Universities on the web. Probably this list will be most useful to graduate school admissions committees considering applicants from Japan. It may also be useful for those considering study in Japan.

Links: Lists of top Japanese Universities are also provided by World Education Services and by the Academic Ranking of World Universities. Other resources with coverage of Japan include Webometrics Top Asia Universities. Two other well-known sources are the Times Higher Education ranking and that by Quacquarelli Symonds. A good starting place for finding rankings for universities in various countries is the University of Illinois' College and University Rankings Page.

みらい え

みらい　え

Artist: きろろ

ほら あしもと を みてごらん
これ が あなた のあゆむ　みち
ほら まえ を みてごらん
あれ が あなた の みらい

はは が くれた たくさん の やさしさ
あい を いだいて あゆめ と くりかえした
あの ときは まだ おさなくて いみ など しらあい
そんな わたしの の て を　にぎり
いっしょ に あゆんできた

ゆめ は いつも そら たかく ある　から
とどかなくて こわい 　ね　だけだ 　おいつずける の
じぶん　 の　 すとおりい　 だから　 こそ　 あきらめたくない
ふあん に　 なる と て を にぎり
いっしょ　 に　 あゆんできた

The History of Japan

                                                             The History of  Japan

The history of Japan encompasses the history of the islands of Japan and the Japanese people, spanning the ancient history of the region to the modern history of Japan as a nation state. Following the last ice age, around 12,000 BC, the rich ecosystem of the Japanese Archipelago fostered human development. The earliest-known pottery belongs to the Jōmon period. The first known written reference to Japan is in the brief information given in Twenty-Four Histories in the 1st century AD. The main cultural and religious influences came from China.

The first permanent capital was founded at Nara in 710 AD, which became a center of Buddhist art, religion and culture. The current imperial family emerged about 700 AD, but until 1868 (with few exceptions) had high prestige but little power. By 1550 or so political power was subdivided into several hundred local units, or "domains" controlled by local "daimyō" (lords), each with his own force of samurai warriors. Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power in 1600, gave land to his supporters, set up his "bakufu" (military government) at Edo (modern Tokyo). The "Tokugawa period" was prosperous and peaceful, but Japan deliberately terminated the Christian missions and cut off almost all contact with the outside world. In the 1860s the Meiji Period began, and the new national leadership systematically ended feudalism and transformed an isolated, underdeveloped island country into a world power that closely followed Western models. Democracy was problematic, because Japan's powerful military was semi-independent and overruled—or assassinated—civilians in the 1920s and 1930s. The military moved into China starting in 1931 but was defeated in the Pacific War by the United States and Britain.

Occupied by the U.S. after the war and stripped of its conquests, Japan was transformed into a peaceful and democratic nation. After 1950 it enjoyed very high economic growth rates, and became a world economic powerhouse, especially in automobiles and electronics. Since the 1990s economic stagnation has been a major issue, with an earthquake and tsunami in 2011 causing massive economic dislocations.