Key Points
- Over 50% of Japanese university students now enter through recommendation-based or comprehensive selection exams, which prioritize personal experience and “storytelling” over raw test scores.
- Students in rural areas face significant “experience gaps” due to the concentration of specialized prep schools and diverse social encounters in major cities.
- Physical and financial barriers, such as a 90-minute commute and high transportation costs to reach urban centers, limit the extracurricular opportunities available to regional youth.
- Educational experts argue that while information is accessible via smartphones, rural students require better community-based support systems to translate that information into meaningful career paths.
Full Transcript (English)
Host (Junya Fukuzawa): Does the place where you were born determine your potential for university advancement? What do you think?
Guest (Atsunori Yamagata): I want the answer to be “No.” However, when we look at regional realities, if a student wants a “live” experience or specialized training, they have to travel to Okayama City or Kurashiki. That involves risks and significant barriers.
Guest (Masako Moritoshi): Regarding potential, it should be “No.” But considering the actual situation—the absolute number of people students meet and the educational opportunities available—if I apply it to children today, I have to answer “Yes.”
Host: Welcome to the second installment of our series, “University Entrance Exams Today from the Educational Frontline.” Today, we are discussing the educational environment gaps faced by schools in regional and depopulated areas. We have two perfect guests. First, Mr. Yamagata, please introduce yourself.
Yamagata: I am Atsunori Yamagata, Principal of Okayama Kyosei High School. I’ve been principal for six years, but I’ve spent my entire career at this school. We are located in Niimi City, a typical “middle-mountain” area with a population of about 25,000. It’s known for limestone, rice, and Chiya beef. Our school has evolved from a girls’ vocational school to a co-ed academic high school. My background is in social studies and coaching Kendo.
Host: And Ms. Moritoshi?
Moritoshi: I am Masako Moritoshi from Maniwa City, Okayama. I represent the NPO “manabo-de.” I am a former high school teacher. Currently, I work as a “community-school coordinator,” connecting schools with local resources to support what children want to do outside of standard school hours.
Host: Let’s look at the data. Currently, more than one in two students enter university via recommendation-based exams. For private universities, that figure is 61.6%. This is a massive shift from 20 or 30 years ago. Specifically, “Comprehensive Selection” (Sogo-gata Senbatsu) is the focus. Unlike general exams that use scores, these look at the person—their past experiences, current challenges, and future goals. It’s like a job interview. The schedule is also much earlier, often finishing by October or November.
Host: This brings us back to our main question: Does birthplace determine potential? Mr. Yamagata, you mentioned the physical barriers.
Yamagata: Yes. From Niimi to Okayama City, it takes an hour and a half one way. It costs about 3,000 yen round trip. A student can’t just “pop over” after school to see a movie or attend a seminar. They would have to miss classes. The risk and cost of seeking diverse experiences are simply higher for them.
Moritoshi: Information is available on smartphones, but students often don’t know which information is relevant to them. They need someone to help them filter and apply that information. In rural areas, the absolute number of diverse adults they encounter is low. They mostly see people in agriculture, forestry, or construction. While those are vital, students with other interests have to look outward, which is difficult without a local support network.
Host: There is a common debate: “Can wealthy families just buy experiences like study abroad to win these exams?”
Yamagata: Study abroad is a great merit for language, but universities aren’t just looking at the price tag of the experience. They are looking for the “story.”
Host: Exactly. As a university faculty member who conducts these interviews, I see students who push the fact that they went to Hawaii for a week. But if they just tell me they saw dolphins, that’s just a travelogue. On the other hand, a student who spends zero yen observing ants in their own backyard and develops a deep, scientific inquiry into their behavior—that is highly valued. It’s about the “Past-Present-Future” narrative.
Moritoshi: That’s why 1-on-1 dialogue is so important. We try to help students find those “seeds” of inquiry in their own lives and then connect them with people who can help them grow. We want to expand the “educational power” of the entire region so schools don’t have to carry the burden alone.
Yamagata: My vision is to create a school where students have free choices. We use our dormitories to bring in students from urban areas who might find the city environment stifling. We want to create a place where rural and urban perspectives mix, and where students can gain confidence through unique local experiences that they can then take to the world.
Host: Birthplace should not determine potential, but we need mechanisms to ensure it doesn’t. We need to move beyond “urban vs. rural” and create a nationwide system where every child can build their own story. Thank you both for joining us today.
