Japan's higher education sector is confronting a crisis as its youth population declines, leading the finance ministry to advocate for the closure or merger of hundreds of private universities. Many institutions are struggling with enrollment shortfalls and financial strain. Critics argue that education ministry policies have exacerbated these issues.

Japan’s shrinking youth population is forcing a reckoning in higher education, with the finance ministry pushing for the closure or merger of hundreds of private universities as campuses struggle to fill classrooms. University insiders broadly agree that Japan has too many small, private tertiary institutions battling enrolment shortfalls and financial pressures, but they also argue the education ministry’s own policies contributed to the problem. “The number of universities they are talking...