This essay reviews three books and one article about recent debates on public-private cost sharing for higher education in Japan. To mitigate the problems related to low fertility and a rapidly aging population, the Japanese government plans to implement a free tuition policy for higher education for students from less affluent households. These books and the article reveal the historical, political, and economic factors behind why Japan’s current level of public spending on higher education is lower than that of other OECD countries. They also reveal that household income remains one of the most important determinants of college advancement, and that a free tuition policy has the potential to increase enrollment in higher education. However, this essay argues that a deeper understanding of the demand for higher education based on empirical studies is needed to make the policy successful.

中文翻译：

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日本高等教育公私成本分摊的近期辩论

本文回顾了最近关于日本高等教育公私成本分摊的三本书和一篇文章。为缓解低生育率和人口快速老龄化的问题，日本政府计划对来自不太富裕家庭的学生实施高等教育免学费政策。这些书籍和文章揭示了日本目前高等教育公共支出水平低于其他经合组织国家背后的历史、政治和经济因素。他们还透露，家庭收入仍然是大学升学的最重要决定因素之一，免费学费政策有可能增加高等教育入学率。然而，