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Education

    During the long feudal period preceding the Meiji Restoration in 1868, various educational establishments developed to serve the needs of the different social classes. Provincial lords set up special schools for the children of the warrior class, and rural communities operated schools for the wealthier members of the merchant and farming classes. Another type of private school was the terakoya, where reading, writing, and arithmetic were taught to the children of the common people, mostly in urban areas.

Basic reading and writing skills were taught at the terakoya, or schools for boys and girls, in the Edo period. (Toshobunko)

Answering a question in an elementary school classroom. (Tokyo Met. Gov.)

A high school class being taught with the aid of audiovisuals. (Tokyo Met. Gov.)

The campus of a public university in the suburbs of Tokyo. (Tokyo Met. Gov.)

Engrossed in reading at a public library. (Tokyo Met. Gov.)

    A modern national education system was introduced into Japan in 1872, when the Government set up elementary and secondary schools throughout the country. In 1886 every child was required to attend elementary school for either three or four years. In 1900 compulsory education was made free of charge, and in 1908 its duration was extended to six years. After World War II this period was again extended to the present nine years, covering elementary and lower secondary school education.
    The basic structure and principles of the present education system are laid out in two laws passed in 1947: the Fundamental Law of Education and the School Education Law. A basic principle enunciated in the Fundamental Law is equality of educational opportunity for all. The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, creed, sex, social status, economic position, or family background.
    A central goal of the education system is to produce self-reliant citizens of a peaceful and democratic nation who respect human rights and love truth and peace. The law emphasizes the importance of political knowledge and of religious tolerance in the development of sound citizens, but it specifically prohibits any link between political parties or religion and education. Social studies comprises a central element of the public school curriculum in line with the Fundamental Law of Education, which also calls on state and local authorities to establish such institutions as libraries, museums, and civic halls.
 

The Education System
    The education system is divided into five stages: kindergarten (one to three years), elementary school (six years), lower secondary school (three years), upper secondary school (three years), and university (generally four years). There are also junior colleges offering courses of study for two or three years. In addition, many universities provide postgraduate courses for advanced studies.
    Education is free and compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 15. However, an overwhelming majority of lower secondary school graduates opt to continue their studies, and in reality upper secondary school has now become an essential part of a child's education. In 1995, 97% of all students entered upper secondary school, a ratio similar to that of the United States, and 45% of all upper secondary school students continued on to university. This is a smaller ratio than that of the United States, where nearly half of all students enter university, but larger than that of West European countries.
    In addition to junior colleges and universities, a number of students enter vocational schools. Moreover, the University of the Air opened in 1985 to provide an opportunity for adults to continue their education by tuning in to lectures broadcast by radio and television.
    Besides the educational facilities available publicly, private schools exist at all stages of the system. These schools play an especially important role in preschool and university education, both of which are beyond the scope of the compulsory system. As of May 1994 as many as 80% of children in kindergartens and 73% of students in universities were enrolled in private institutions, and 30% of all upper secondary students were attending private schools.
    The number of Japanese students who study overseas is increasing. In 1994, 151,000 students were studying in a foreign country. In 1994 there were 54,000 foreign students in Japan, about 90% of whom were from Asia.
    The administration of Japan's education system is decentralized, the role of the Ministry of Education being broadly that of a coordinator. Responsibility for school budgets, educational programs, school appointments, and the supervision of elementary and lower secondary schools lies in the hands of local boards of education. The members of these boards are selected by the administrative head of the local governing authority.
    As regards the content of education, each school organizes its own curricula in accordance with the Course of Study, prepared and published by the Education Ministry. Textbooks are selected by the local boards of education from among those authorized by the ministry.
    Educational background is an important factor in Japan's lifetime employment system. In order to land a job in a top-ranking company, it is necessary to be a graduate of a leading university, a qualification which is dependent in turn upon graduation from top-level upper and lower secondary schools. Because of fierce competition in the entrance examinations, an increasing number of students now attend private "cram" schools. These schools, which are set up to provide supplementary after-school instruction to help students enter the school of their choice, exist at all levels from nursery school through to university entrance examinations.
    Reforms introduced following the Meiji Restoration and World War II paved the way for the spread of education in Japan. Recently, however, a number of problems have emerged in the country's schools, including violence, bullying, and fierce competition to gain a place in the best schools. In addition, it has become increasingly clear that the system needs to be transformed into one that is more appropriate for Japanese society in the present age of industrial restructuring, technological development, and internationalization.
    Japan is currently implementing educational reforms in line with the 1987 report of the National Council on Educational Reform (an advisory panel to the Prime Minister). The report recommends that: (1) a more varied selection of subjects be offered at the lower and upper secondary school levels, (2) the university entrance examination system be revised to allow each university to conduct its own testing, (3) educational opportunities be increased for people who are not enrolled in school, and (4) the system for accepting foreign students be improved. Japanese schools used to have a six-day school week, but since April 1995 students have had two Saturdays a month off.