Papers are presented which offer a detailed perspective of the changing state of institutions in the non-university sector in Japan. They are the product of three research projects. The projects were: a group study on the short-cycle higher education; a United States-Japan cooperative study on education; and from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development/Centre for Educational Research and Innovation a project on alternatives to university education. Nine papers are as follows: (1) "Introduction: The Present Status of Higher Education" (R. Kuroha and K. Kitamura); (2) "Quantitative Transitions in the Postsecondary Education System" (M. Iwanaga); (3) "The Structure of the Postsecondary Education System" (K. Kitamura); (4) "The Content of Education in the Non-University Sector" (A. Tachi); (5) "Organizational Patterns of Various Institutions in the Non-University Sector (A.Tachi); (6) "Finance and Administration in the Non-University Sector" (M. Iwanaga); (7) "The Employment of Graduates from Non-University Sector Institutions" (A. Oe); (8) "Socio-Economic Role of the Non-University Sector" (I. Amano); and (9) "Summary and Prospects" (Y. Abe). (SM)