Fired academics accuse private university of ‘mismanagement’

A Japanese professor who lost his job after university leaders reversed course on developing a new department has accused them of mismanagement, as the government continues to reform governance rules for private institutions. 

Katsuyuki Miyasaka, a paediatrics specialist based in Tokyo, was approached in 2019 by Wayo Women’s University, a private institution in Ichikawa, to help create a graduate school of nursing.

However, when Japan’s education ministry (MEXT) reviewed the application and issued a warning – meaning it would need to be revised – the business that runs the university decided not to proceed with the new school. 

Professor Miyasaka, who subsequently lost his job along with several other academics, is now involved in a three-year-long legal battle against the university’s parent company. 

“It is very stressful for me that my trusting and forward-looking colleagues, who resigned from their previous jobs to contribute to the future of healthcare and education in Japan, were fired for no clear reason,” he said. 

While the university reportedly argued in court that it had informed the academics their contracts would be discontinued if the new department was not approved, the plaintiffs argued that it might have received approval if the university had continued with the application. 

After filing a lawsuit in 2021, the court initially recommended a settlement, which was rejected by the plaintiffs. The legal dispute has been ongoing since, with a verdict expected at the end of the month. 

Professor Miyasaka, who is also an emeritus professor at St Luke’s International University in Tokyo, blamed the “complete lack of internal control between academic affairs and management” for the situation. 

The row follows long-standing apprehension about the governance of Japan’s private universities, with a series of scandals generating concerns that there are not enough checks and balances on those at the top. 

In 2019, the government amended the Private Schools Act to strengthen the authority of boards of directors and to introduce external directors to the bodies that oversee private universities. 

However, issues still persist at some, including “closed decision-making” processes, according to Reiko Yamada, director of the Centre for Higher Education and Student Research at Doshisha University. 

“While the board of trustees has a strong grip on management, the opinions of the faculty council, which represents the teaching staff, are often not fully reflected, and there are cases where the quality of education and research policies are influenced by the management decisions of the board of trustees, which is seen as a problem,” Professor Yamada said.

In 2023, the government passed further amendments to the Private Schools Act, including clearer procedures for appointing executive officers and more severe penalties for director misconduct. These rules will come into force next year.

“The changes appear designed to align the private school corporation governance structure more closely with public governance expectations common in other sectors,” said Jeremy Breaden, associate professor of Japanese studies at Monash University.  

However, Dr Breaden argued that limited regulations had been part of the success of Japan’s private university sector, enabling them “to respond so flexibly to the immense changes in the landscape of education and research in Japan over the past few decades, especially the fluctuations in demand for undergraduate education”.

“The challenge is to retain that flexibility while eliminating the scope for it to be abused,” he said. 

Times Higher Education approached Wayo Women’s University for comment.

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com