Global competence in Japan: What do students really need?

Japanese universities are expected to foster globally competent graduates, but the precise parameters of global competence in Japan are not well defined. While universal frameworks for intercultural and global competence abound, their applicability in non-Western contexts is under-explored and little research has been conducted examining the global (or intercultural) competence construct in Japan. This study sought to address this gap by examining the nature of global competence in Japan and the challenges that students face in its development. A novel method integrating Q-methodology and the Delphi Technique was used to collect, refine and analyze expert and stakeholder opinions. Findings indicate that though perceptions of global competence in Japan are more closely aligned with intercultural literature than with local government policy, elements of global competence deemed important in Japan are often overlooked or minimized in the existing (mostly Western) literature. This has implications for global competence education and research in Japan.