Abstract: Short-term universities are an important part of Japans higher education system established after World War II.After entering the stage of popularization of higher education,Japans short-term universities are facing many difficulties,such as economic recession and intensified economic difficulties for students,the reduction of the 18-year-old population and business crisis,the transformation of social talent demand,and the decline in the attractiveness of short-term universities.Therefore,a series of reforms have been carried out and achieved significant results,mainly reflected in promoting the first stage of lifelong education in higher education,building Japanese style community schools that support local social development,implementing education to cultivate specialized vocational talents in specific fields and strengthening the quality construction of short-term university education.Deepening the development along the four paths and promoting the flexible use of ICT technology in short-term university education will become the development direction of future short-term universities in Japan.As an important neighboring country in the East Asian cultural circle,the reform of short-term universities in Japan during the popularization stage has provided useful experience and reference for the development of higher vocational education in China.

Key words: higher education:popularization stage:Japanese short-term universities:higher vocational education