title: A survey on characteristics of Japanese academic job market and evaluation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the Meiji era, at the end of the 19th century, Japan introduced western systems into many fields, economically developing later than other industrially developed countries. Japan introduced a higher education system modeled on the German system, focusing not on education but on research. The historical background has shaped contemporary Japanese academia differently from that of the United States and the European Union. In addition, because of geographical and linguistic barriers in Asia, intercommunication with researchers in other developed countries has been much less than that between the United States and the European Union, leaving Japanese academia relatively isolated.
  
  
  METHODS
  We survey the characteristics of the Japanese academic system in higher education, using the latest published data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This article indicates a concentration of research at former imperial universities and a rigidity of movement among universities both internationally and domestically. Furthermore, small differences in salary levels have provided little incentive to perform research. However, while most universities in Japan have not introduced evaluation systems for promotion and salary that are heavily dependent on journal rankings, as in the European Union and United States, Japanese academic performance has not declined.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This article suggests that in Japan, salary incentives, the impact factor, and so on have had little influence on academic performance. Even though cultural and historical differences between countries affect academic behaviors, we hope that this article might trigger consideration of other possible evaluation schemes for the future.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan domon-5stars@waseda.jp.
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Domon
authors.affiliation: School of Social Sciences, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004651:Employment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005062:European Union; D005180:Faculty, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D040541:Marketing; D009042:Motivation; D012106:Research / Q000191:economics* / Q000193:education; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities / Q000458:organization & administration*; D000066477:Work Performance
keywords: content area; design and evaluation of programs and policies; economic evaluation; education