Higher education in Japan has borne the brunt of Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi's market-driven reforms, leaving academics fearful that university could become beyond the reach of bright Japanese youth of limited means, writes Nobuko Hara in Tokyo.
Tuition fees are among the highest in the world. They average ?802,000 (Pounds 4,000) at national institutions and ?1.29 million at private ones, according to the Ministry of Education's 2004 survey. Even national university fees are four times those of UK institutions and 2.5 times those of US state universities.
Undaunted, the Government pushed up the fees again last year amid protests by academics and students and hinted at more rises in its bid to "close the gap with private institutions". The policy of letting the recipient bear the cost of education has been fully embraced by the Prime Minister under his structural reform programme.
But unlike the US, which budgets more than $10 billion a year (£5.3 billion) for scholarships, there is nothing comparable in Japan. The only help available to students are loans of between ?30,000 and ?100,000 a month. Interest-free loans, though still available in a limited number of cases, have been cut back and fee waivers for those going into teaching have been abolished.
Asuka Iwasaki, 19, a second-year student at Tokyo University majoring in Japanese literature, and her boyfriend have started a petition demanding a reduction in fees. She said: "The widespread thinking is that education is a service offered only to those who can pay for it."
Her parents' annual income of ?2.4 million (£12,000) and the fact she has five siblings means that she qualifies for the university's own fee-waiver scheme so long as she averages above 80 per cent in semester exams.
"All the time I'm worried about my academic performance," she said.
A Saturday job and a ?51,000 a month loan from the semi-government lender pays for her accommodation, living expenses and books.
"I'd love to go on to a graduate school, but my youngest brother is only eight and I will probably have to get a job."
New lending terms mean that repayment starts within six months of graduating, regardless of whether the graduate has a job. Debt-collection firms pursue borrowers in arrears.
"These loans are no longer attractive," said a student at Meiji University in Tokyo.
Academics fear that escalating fees combined with a lack of scholarships and reliable financial support by the Government could make university inaccessible to hard-up pupils.
Academic standards are already suffering, according to a professor emeritus of Chiba University. Most students work part time to help pay their way, leaving less time and energy for their studies, he said.