[GSlob]

"It's not too ridiculous to suggest that he would have sent his kids to school in Baghdad before he ever let them attend a Japanese school."
Strange relatives you have, I must say. Well, one does not get to choose one's kin, except the relatives by marriage. I have extensively dealt with the products of Japanese education [from upper layers], and can compare them with our homegrown Ivy Leaguers. In my field the Japanese-educated professors [like Yoshito Kishi at Harvard] are at or near the top, and given the choice of the undergraduates to TA, I would take Tokyo University undergrads over Princeton ones any day. Which means that even before getting into a university, they [in Japan] get a pretty solid preparation in a secondary school, including homework - which is more than I could say of the princetonians.

[Alberta's Child]

You've sort of made his case without even realizing it. His problem with the Japanese system is that it is so thoroughly regimented that it leaves students thoroughly unprepared for anything that requires even a modicum of imagination or creativity.

Your entire post revolves around your exposure to people in academia. Take one small step out of that academic environment and the deficiencies of the Japanese system are really exposed. I work as an engineer for a private employer, and one of the interesting things about my job is that many of the recent high school graduates who are working here as interns are far more competent and effective than some of the senior-level engineers who have graduated from top engineering programs.