On China's SNS, Xiaohongshu (RED), a post titled "Why don't Japanese people care much about academic background?" appeared and drew a big reaction.

The poster wrote, "Currently, many Chinese go to university, but the Japanese girl I met on HelloTalk (an app for learning languages through chats with native speakers, etc.) reportedly did not pursue higher education after high school!" and uploaded a screenshot of the chat screen with her.

In it, the Japanese woman said, "I started studying hair and makeup after graduating from high school," "I'm also working part-time while studying," and "I quite like this lifestyle." The poster, surprised, exclaimed, "How can this be? Why don't Japanese people care much about academic background!?" and asked other users for reasons.

The most popular comment on this post was: "It's because Japanese universities have long lost their value. For a population of 120 million, there are over 800 universities. If you're not picky, there's always a university you can get into. On the other hand, Jiangsu Province, which has a high enthusiasm for education in China, has about 170 universities for a population of 80 million."

Additionally, some opinions included: "Japanese people apparently don't care about the social perception of jobs. They seem to feel that if they have a job, that's enough, and they don't emphasize what kind of job it is." "(Japan) really doesn't care much about academic background. What's more important is what kind of person you are, in other words, your impression during an interview." And "The degree of national development is different. Japan has already passed the era of focusing on academic background."

Furthermore, comments like these also gained sympathy: "(In Japan) if your academic background is different, the jobs you can find are different. But you can make a living with any job." "The key point is that Japan has a small wealth gap, and even jobs that don't require academic qualifications can earn a decent living." "Japanese small businesses certainly don't look much at academic background. Even physical labor can provide enough income to support a family, and it's not looked down upon. I lived in Kyoto for two years, and even grandpas and grandmas with not much academic background spoke profound things. My part-time job manager couldn't understand at all that in China, a bad exam score could mean 'death' (career-wise, or figuratively)."

On the other hand, opinions were also expressed such as: "Japan is an extremely meritocratic country when it comes to education. There are many junior high school graduates in Japan too, and the person you spoke with (on HelloTalk) just happened to be one of them. In many cases, academic background is more valued in Japan than it is in China." And "Japan is a tremendous academic society. Many families cannot afford tuition, so it's not uncommon for people to find employment after high school. While there are sufficient job opportunities for high school graduates, it is difficult to enter major companies without a high academic background, and high-income opportunities are generally only available to those with high academic qualifications." (Translated and edited by Kitada)