Photo/Illutration A Chinese graduate student is believed to have been hired to help others cheat at this venue in Tokyo’s Itabashi Ward on May 18 for the TOEIC English proficiency test. (Noriki Nishioka)

I remember wandering down a back alley in Beijing’s university district more than 30 years ago and stumbling upon a stall selling fake diplomas.

The counterfeit certificates weren’t limited to those from China’s elite institutions such as Peking University or Tsinghua University—they included diplomas from prestigious overseas universities including Oxford in Britain, all neatly displayed in a row.

At the time, such illicit practices were widespread in China, treated almost as part of daily life.

Curious, I asked the vendor—a man in a threadbare black suit—whether he had any Japanese diplomas.

He flashed a sly grin and said, “If you bring me a real one, I’ll make you a copy for free.”

So that’s how it worked, I thought. To forge something convincingly, you first need an authentic model. It dawned on me once again that fraud of this kind rarely happens in isolation; there are always enablers.

In this way, diploma forgery is not so different from exam cheating.

What makes such misconduct especially troubling is its ambiguity: The victims are often invisible and those committing the acts tend to feel little guilt.

Recently, a Chinese graduate student at Kyoto University was arrested at a testing site for the Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC). He reportedly admitted to taking the widely recognized exam—designed to assess the English proficiency of non-native speakers—on behalf of someone else.

Investigators believe he hid a miniature microphone inside his face mask. Authorities are now examining the possibility that he used the device to transmit answers to another test-taker.

In a society such as China’s, where personal connections often dictate opportunity, access to influential networks are usually the privilege of the wealthy and well-placed.

Those without such advantages—the children of ordinary or disadvantaged families—are left to stake their hopes on the meritocracy of exams. For them, relentless effort is the only path forward in an unforgivingly competitive world.

And yet, that fragile sense of fairness is all too often betrayed by acts of deception like this.

When I think back to that long-ago alleyway in Beijing, I wonder what became of those who bought fake diplomas. Did they use them to land a job or gain admission to a foreign university—robbing someone else of an opportunity they had rightfully earned?

In a world already steeped in inequity, perhaps they convinced themselves that it didn’t matter.

But I can’t help asking: Is that person—man or woman—who once paid for a counterfeit certificate actually happy now?

—The Asahi Shimbun, May 26

* * *

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

Related News