Professor Kazuo Nishimura, Kyoto University contributed an article titled as "Stop the deterioration of scientific capability of university students" to the today's Nikkei news paper. He and Professor Nobuyuki Momose, Keio University made a survey on mathematical capability of five thousand students of 19 Japanese universities. Please refer to a book titled as "The university students who cannot calculate fractional numbers"(edited by Messers Okabe, Momose and Nishimura. Toyo Keizai Shinposha 1999)

According to Professor Nishimura,　

　　　　　8/9　-　1/5　-　2/3　=　?

more than 10% of Liberal Art school students, one of the best and the hardest to enter among private universities could not get right answer of the above equation. More than 10% of Literature students could not answer the right solutions of very simple calculations which are standard curriculum of primary schools (The most students could not answer the questionnaires higher than the level of quadratic equations.)

The Literature students of the other private university, of which the entrance examination was hard as the former university, got almost the same results.

Professor Nishimura pointed out that the above results were not because of primary school education but because of the facts that some universities exempted mathematics test from their entrance examination. The present university education system which admits the enter of students who have forgotten mathematics and also allow them to graduate. The system degenerates the students intelligence.

I have never imagined that university students do not master the mathematics of the standard level for primary school students. I have warned in my book "The Origin of Competitive Strength"(Diamond 1996) that the bad effects caused by exempting mathematics test from the university entrance examination might endanger the fundamental system of education in Japan（P284〜P285）. Sometimes I added this comment to my speech.

One day in 1996, Professor S of K university, one of the best among private universities in Japan came to me and said "I cannot allow you for criticizing the exemption of mathematics from the entrance examination of Department of Economics at our university. Those talented students who otherwise might enter the Tokyo University come to us after we exempted mathematics test. If mathematics is required to understand economics, we will teach it at the university. I don't think nothing is wrong." That's what he said. The professor was frequently on TV as an economic commentator. I was amazed at his low level logic.

Through 1980, Japanese students mathematics capability was rated the best among the world. Those students who moved to primary schools or high schools in U.S.A. from those in Japan as their parents were appointed to the posts there were said to be superior as far as mathematics was concerned. Meanwhile the level of mathematics of U.S. students was low. A research made at a certain number of countries in 1992 showed that its level was the second to the lowest.

At that time, it was said that the drastic reform of education must be done by all means in order to revitalize American technology and economy. They did it nationally all at once. They evaluate high the marks of English and mathematics for screening the talented students entering the best graded universities. Today their mathematical ability is being rated as the top level in the world. I am being impressed how fast they got the results. In contrast, Japanese students are now rated below the level of some neighboring Asian countries.

The other day I met a computer science master course student of a U.S. university who graduated from Japanese university with good marks. The student said mathematics was difficult to follow at the university. This might be an example of faulty mathematics education in Japan.

I hope that Professor Nishimura and his colleagues reports will accerlate the education reform and get the results at the earliest opportunity.

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