Japanese Students: Academic Rigor First, Relaxation Second

I agree completely with Brian Bremner's "Japan can't get school reform right, either" (Asian Business, Apr. 29). As a part-time lecturer at three universities in Nagoya for eight years, I have been appalled by the lack of focus on student satisfaction, the balkanization of faculty based on department, the lack of clear graduation standards, the primacy of memorization over analytical thinking and originality, the focus on students as a revenue source, and the total lack of student input into curricular design or teacher evaluation.

While a recent reader commented on the importance of giving otherwise overworked Japanese students a breather after high school ("Give the Japanese a break," Readers Report, June 3), surely there must be a way to combine academic rigor with moments of relaxation. Otherwise, students will continue to be woefully ill-prepared to compete in a domestic and international economy where flexibility and capability matter more than alumni connections.