EXCLUSIVE: Japan May Add Farming, Anime Courses to “Kosen” Colleges

Tokyo, May 23 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s education ministry is considering adding new courses to “kosen” technical colleges beyond those in industrial fields, such as agriculture, as well as manga and animation, Jiji Press has learned. In response to many local governments aiming to establish new technical colleges, the ministry hopes to develop talent in a wide range of areas. Technical colleges are five-year institutions offering higher education to students who have graduated from junior high school, with the aim of nurturing practical and creative engineers. According to the ministry, there are a total of 58 national, public and private technical colleges across Japan, primarily offering industrial courses such as mechanical and electrical engineering. Current standards for establishing kosen technical colleges include the number of teachers and the school floor area required for industrial courses. The ministry is considering revising the standards so that new courses, including those in the agriculture sector and those related to the content sector, would be available as additional options for students. The central prefecture of Aichi, the western prefecture of Shiga and the southwestern city of Fukuoka are preparing to set up technical colleges, with a goal of nurturing potential workers for regional industries. Some local governments are considering converting agricultural high schools into technical colleges. On the envisaged courses in the content field, a ministry official said, “As it could take five years to teach computer graphics and advanced image processing skills, there may be moves to establish new kosen courses.” The ministry is discussing expanding subsidies to cover personnel costs to increase salaries for kosen teachers, in hopes that an improvement in treatment may help secure skilled professionals. It plans to request a subsidy increase in its fiscal 2027 budget request. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]