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The story
On October 9, Demon Kakka of the rock band Seikima-II appeared as a guest commentator on TOKYO MX’s “5-ji ni Muchu!” and spoke candidly about Japan’s credentialist society. The show featured a viral article in which a social-media influencer and University of Tokyo medical school graduate argued that “academic pedigree is nothing more than the result of a paper test taken at age 18, yet it’s used as a tool to look down on others.” When host and announcer Minoru Aoi asked whether Kakka had ever felt the pressure of Japan’s credentialism, he replied, “I can’t say I’ve really felt the pressure, but I do think I’ve benefited from it.” Kakka’s own background as a Waseda University graduate sparked a divided debate on 5ch over the reputation of his specific faculty, how tough admission was back then, and how views on academic credentials differ overseas.
Demon Kakka of the rock band Seikima-II appeared live as a guest commentator on the October 9 broadcast of TOKYO MX’s “5-ji ni Muchu!” (weekdays, 5 p.m.), where he let slip his honest feelings about his own academic background as a Waseda University graduate.
In that day’s “Daily BINKAN Ranking” segment, the show introduced an article noting the buzz around remarks from a University of Tokyo medical school graduate and influencer, who said: “To cut to the conclusion, academic credentials in Japan are nothing more than the sum of one’s test scores at age 18 — yet they end up being used as grounds for looking down on others.”
Tying this back to the article, host and announcer Minoru Aoi asked Demon Kakka, “Have you ever felt something like the pressure of a credential-based society?” Kakka answered, “I can’t say I’ve really felt that pressure, but I do think I’ve come out ahead because of it.”
Source: hochi.news / Read the original article here
What people said
Honjo (Waseda's affiliated high school): "Yeah, that's right."
Setsuryo (another affiliated high school): "Yeah, totally."
I live about a 5-minute walk from Okuma Shigenobu's birthplace (Waseda's founder), but I still couldn't get into Waseda.
It's the Faculty of Social Sciences, right? But his high school was Toin Gakuen, and back then Toin was pretty elite, so I'd guess he could actually study.
That doesn't leave his co-host any room to talk, haha.
always nails the punchline at the end.
Maybe that's exactly what voice actors are missing.
Speaking of Takushoku University, there's Tokoro Joji.
That guy (the demon) is the Crown Prince of Hell, you know.
So since Demon never had to job hunt, he never actually got the benefit of his credentials.
What people picture when they hear "credential-based society" varies a lot.
The US, China, Taiwan, and South Korea are all even more intensely credentialist than Japan.
Setting the Second Literature faculty aside, Social Sciences is apparently a flagship faculty these days — there are guys at my company who casually play the elite in front of younger employees.
I don't think you can really grasp how much credentials matter unless you've been filtered out by one — say, if you're below the "Nittakomasen" tier (Nihon, Toyo, Komazawa, Senshu universities).
Hiroyuki went to Chuo University's night program, but if it had been a Nittakomasen-tier school instead, people's image of him would probably be different.
Kyoto University's humanities departments are about on par with Waseda/Keio.
These days the Waseda faculty people look down on is the "Tokorozawa" one (the faculties based at the Tokorozawa campus).
Huh, but unlike in the past, that's only true for part of it now, right?
In the US, first-year salaries differ by university, and internships are openly restricted by school name too. When Goldman Sachs tried the same approach in Japan, it caused a huge backlash. Look across the West, Asia, and Africa — there's probably no society as stuck on this bad kind of egalitarianism as Japan.
Background and Key Points of the Debate
The discussion traces back to a comment featured on the show from a University of Tokyo medical school graduate and influencer, who argued that academic credentials are merely the result of a paper test taken at 18, yet get used as a tool to look down on others. Thread opinion split over exactly where the “benefit” of a prestigious degree actually kicks in: some posters described personally skipping several steps in job-application screening, while others pointed out that someone like Demon Kakka — who never went through a conventional job hunt — wouldn’t have gained much from his credentials in the first place. Posts also noted that the reputation of Waseda’s Faculty of Social Sciences and former Second Faculty of Literature has shifted over time, with admission difficulty and status looking quite different now compared to when Kakka enrolled. Others pointed out that in the US, China, Taiwan, and South Korea, starting salaries and hiring tracks are tied far more explicitly to academic background than in Japan — and that the term “credential-based society” means very different things depending on the country and generation, which is part of why the debate never quite converges.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisoku Speed+) thread “[TOKYO MX] Waseda Grad Demon Kakka Speaks Frankly About Japan’s Credential Society: “I Can’t Say I’ve Felt the Pressure, But I Do Think I’ve Come Out Ahead”.”
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