Even Established Schools Like Meiji University Are Not Immune (Surugadai Campus) “Students say they love their school and are deeply saddened that it will disappear.” At a press conference held on November 20, Masaki Nakano, president of Kyoto Kacho University and Kacho Junior College, expressed his frustration as he announced that the school would stop accepting new students from the 2027 academic year. The university and junior college will close after enrolling their last batch of students in April 2026. Kyoto Kacho University and its junior college are not alone in halting recruitment. Earlier this year, Nagoya Ryusho Women’s University and Kyoto Notre Dame Women’s University also announced that they would stop accepting new students. In the 2024 academic year, the university enrollment rate reached a record high of 62.3%. With many young people aiming for higher education, what is happening to universities that should, in theory, be thriving? University journalist Reiji Ishiwata explains: “Since 1985, the university enrollment rate has been steadily increasing. According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, this trend is expected to continue. At the same time, however, the declining birthrate is accelerating rapidly. By 2026, the rate of decline in the population of 18-year-olds will exceed the increase in university enrollment. Especially from the 2027 academic year onward, the decrease in the 18-year-old population will be drastic, putting many universities in a critical situation where they cannot maintain enrollment quotas. The year 2026 could become a turning point for university management, and this is referred to as the 2026 University Problem.”