Education: Applause Is Not Enough

Like every other literate country, Japan has a problem in teachers' substandard pay. Writing in Keizai Shincho, one of Tokyo's academic journals, Economics Professor Hiroshi Sato of Hitotsubashi University explains something about the special woes of Japan's teachers, and a lot more about himself.

"In days gone by," recalls clean-shaven Professor Sato, "a [Japanese] professor wore a fine mustache, carried a cane, and commuted directly from the geisha house to the classroom in a jinricksha . . . Now, after 31 years of teaching. I return home with a monthly salary of 36,150 yen [$100]. I give the envelope to my wife...

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