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This paper aims to explore the significance of what is called liberal arts education at open and distance learning institutions. Universities all over the world are sounding the death knell for the liberal arts education, including language and literature education. Fortunately, this death knell is somewhat muted at the Open University of Japan, where a number of students flock to attend a wide range of humanities courses at every Study Centre, testifying perhaps to the intellectual maturity of the students.

 This, however, does not mean that the humanities education at the Open University of Japan has been able to provide an ideal opportunity for those students who have enrolled for the purpose of enhancing their careers. One could even argue rather cynically that studying humanities courses at the OUJ has so far ended up being merely a comfortable way of earning credits for graduation, with students unable to utilize these courses in any meaningful way.

Given that the OUJ does not have a career support centre, this probably does not come as a surprise. Even so, considering today’s cultural climate, where every university is held accountable for spending a large sum of money on what does not immediately produce benefit, scholars who engage in open and distance education would be required to reflect and theorize about the significance of liberal arts education, even though it is virtually impossible to provide a definitive answer. Drawing on a number of sources and data, both sociological and historical, I would like to interrogate what kind of role teaching languages and literature can play at open and distance learning institutions.