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Skip to main content * Home * News * Rankings * Jobs * Students * Events * Resources * Solutions News * Home * Latest * Opinion * In-depth * Leadership * Digital editions * Newsletters Campus Resources for academics and university staff * Home * Key topics * Spotlights * Collections * Podcasts * Partners * About * Newsletters Jobs * Home * Find a job * Jobs alerts * Careers advice * Post a job Events * Home * Summits * Get Involved * Awards Rankings * Home * World University Rankings * Impact Rankings * By subject * Reputation Rankings * Arab Rankings * China Subject Ratings * Japan University Rankings * Sub-Saharan Africa University Rankings * News * About THE rankings Student Everything you need for each step of your study abroad journey * Home * Best universities * Business education * Events/ festivals * Certifications * Counsellor resources Solutions * Home * Data and insights * Consultancy * Hiring solutions * Branding * Institutional subscriptions * Student recruitment * Campus+ * * Share on twitter * Share on facebook * Register * Login * Subscribe Search Close MARIJUANA SCANDALS TEST JAPANESE UNIVERSITY LEADERS INSTITUTIONS STRUGGLE TO NAVIGATE CLASH OF REALITY OF STUDENT DRUG USE WITH CONSERVATIVE CULTURE November 8, 2023 Pola Lem Twitter: @PolaLem * Share on twitter * Share on facebook * Share on linkedin * Share on mail Source: Getty Images As the latest marijuana scandal hits a Japanese university, a top administrator has been asked to leave his post, reflecting a culture in which campus drug use is still so rare that the institutional response is to hide any occurrence, scholars said. Nihon University’s vice-president was reportedly asked to step down after some of the institution’s athletes were arrested for suspected possession of cannabis, Japanese media reported. The high-profile incident comes amid a rash of similar cases earlier this year. In the summer, two members of the Tokyo University of Agriculture’s boxing team were arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana; so were three members of the Asahi University rugby team, according to local news coverage. Such incidents, and their potential to bring down university leaders, reveal a clash of on-the-ground reality with a conservative culture – and are only likely to become more common in the future, according to academics. In contrast with the West, in Japan, the use of marijuana is “still highly stigmatised and considered a sign of social deviancy”, said Timothy Benedict, an associate professor of sociology at Kwansei Gakuin University. For universities, student drug use reflects poorly on their reputation. Yet despite this, most institutions do not educate their students about the issue, with action currently “limited to a few posters on campus or leaflets”, Dr Benedict said. Currently, cases of drug use are fairly rare and a cause of deep embarrassment for institutions, leading to poor management of incidents, said Takuya Kimura, a professor in the School of Education at Kyushu University. “Japanese people have a disposition not to accept errors or even the slightest…failure. I think it is a manifestation of perfectionism in Japan,” he said. In the Nihon case, administrators were said to have delayed for more than a week before telling the police about the case. The university maintains that it had been conducting an internal investigation. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Campus resource: Universities must acknowledge the value of students in recovery -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But for Professor Kimura, its behaviour betrayed a deeper issue, a culture wherein administrators “try to hide” such problems. “Japanese universities have long treated drug cases as non-existent on campus. Students who committed drug crimes were the exception. It is important to reverse the situation when it becomes an everyday occurrence,” he said. Such a time is still far away, said Matthew Wilson, president of Temple University’s Japan campus and a lawyer specialising in Japan’s legal system. “Nihon University and the administration contend that they needed time to investigate and allow the students time to confess. The government would likely contend that this is not the place of a university when it comes to matters such as drug use,” he said. Going forward, Professor Wilson said, the Nihon case would come to be an example of “what not to do in drug use cases” for administrators. “Apologies and taking responsibility are significant from a culture standpoint in Japan,” he said. “The delay in reporting the discovery of marijuana to the police during a dorm raid can be construed negatively.” As more Japanese students go on semesters abroad in countries where marijuana is legal and its use widespread, universities might need to rethink their approach, said Dr Benedict. The use of drugs, while still rare in Japan, will only grow, agreed Professor Kimura. “Japanese universities have already become mass rather than elite,” he said. “The rapid progression of stratification in Japan means that the drug-familiar class is enrolling in universities, and this number is expected to increase in the future.” Responding to Times Higher Education, Nihon University apologised for the “worry” and “confusion” caused by the incident on its campus. A spokesperson said that a team is working on an “improvement plan that includes measures to prevent the recurrence of this trouble and the restructuring of the administrative system”. “At the same time, we will clarify where the responsibility lies for those involved in bringing about this situation,” they added. pola.lem@timeshighereducation.com Read more about Read more about: Students REGISTER TO CONTINUE Why register? * Registration is free and only takes a moment * Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month * Sign up for our newsletter Register SUBSCRIBE Or subscribe for unlimited access to: * Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews * Digital editions * Digital access to THE’s university and college rankings analysis Subscribe Already registered or a current subscriber? Login Please Login or Register to read this article. 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Promoted by National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Sponsored FEATURED JOBS TENURE-TRACK PROFESSOR / ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR / ASSISTANT PROFESSOR IN PRIVATE LAW THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG LECTURER IN PALLIATIVE CARE FLINDERS UNIVERSITY RESEARCH ASSISTANT (MNNDL - NEUROIMAGING/IT) NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE POSTDOCTORAL RESEARCHER IN MECHANICAL AND RELIABILITY MODELLING OF POWER COMPONENTS UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, EMPLOYER RELATIONS OF THE CAREER DEVELOPMENT CENTER - STUDENT AFFAIRS NEW YORK UNIVERSITY ABU DHABI See all jobs THE ‘NEW NORMAL’ IS CHANGING STUDENT PRIORITIES The latest research from YouGov show that innovative online courses, alumni case studies and being taught skills are emerging as the biggest drivers for attracting undergraduates Promoted by YouGov Sponsored Close * FAQs * Contact us * About us * Work for THE * Write for THE * Terms & conditions * Privacy * Cookie policy * Accessibility statement * THE Connect * Media Centre * Modern slavery statement * English * Simplified Chinese (简体中文) Copyright © 2023 THE - Times Higher Education Subscribe If you like what you're reading online, why not take advantage of our subscription and get unlimited access to all of Times Higher Education's content? 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