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The Education System of Japan

Birkner, Martin

(Citation)
教育科学論集,27:73-75

(Issue Date)
2024-03-31
(Resource Type)
departmental bulletin paper
(Version)
Version of Record
(JaLCDOI)
https://doi.org/10.24546/0100489617
(URL)
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14094/0100489617
研修報告 『教育科学論集』第 27 号 2024 年 3 月

The Education System of Japan

Martin Birkner
マルティン・ビルクナー
（人間発達環境学研究科・特別研究学生）

キーワード：Japanese School System after World War Ⅱ，Demographic Change，Work Overlord

1. Introduction diligence and perseverance plays a major role in everyday

Like many other countries, Japan has undergone many school life (Drinck, 2017, p. 90).
changes over the course of its history. Just as the economy,
politics and society have always had to adapt to changing
circumstances, so too has the Japanese education and school
system (Drinck, 2017, pp. 84-85).
The country is now one of the countries in the world with
the best PISA results (Drinck, 2017, pp. 83-84; Maehara,
2014, p. 116; OECD, 2018).
Despite of scoring high in international comparisons of
education levels, the Japanese education and school system
faces current challenges. The demographic change as well as
a work overload of teachers are two examples of challenges
faced by Japan and will be highlighted below.

2. The Japanese School System after World

War Ⅱ
Japan's current school system has its origins in the period
after the Second World War. After Japan's capitulation and its
ties to the United States of America, the American school
system had to be established in Japan in 1947 with the "Basic Abbildung 1: Skizze des japanischen Schulsystems (Maehara,
Law of Education". 2014, p.117)

In contrast to Germany, where responsibility for education

lies with the federal states, in Japan it is centrally managed by In addition to the school system described in the outline, it

the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science should be mentioned that the introduction of dual vocational

and Technology). The Japanese school system has four levels - training, as it exists in Germany, was never planned for Japan.

the six-year elementary school and the three-year middle After those entering the labour market are employed by

school are compulsory for all pupils. Compulsory schooling is companies in Japan, they are trained on the job while they are

free of charge for pupils (Drinck, 2017, p.89). This can be working (Drinck, 2017, p. 89).

followed by a three-year high school and a four-year university As Japan relies economically on well-educated specialists, is

(DAAD Education System Analysis, 2017). The system can dependent on them and also produces them through high

also be summarised as a "6-3-3-4" school system, which is educational motivation on the part of the Japanese population,

illustrated in Figure 1 by Maehara (2014, p. 117) (Drinck, 2017, places at Japan's colleges and universities are always in high

p. 89). demand. This high demand creates competition among

In contrast to Germany, there is no repeating of grades applicants. In order to obtain one of the coveted university

during the compulsory schooling period, which means that places, it is necessary to have received a good education at a

every pupil is automatically transferred to the next grade level high school that is considered "good". However, in order to be

during the compulsory schooling period. In Japanese primary accepted at a good high school, it is necessary to have attended

schools in particular, the focus is on strengthening a sense of a junior high school that is not inferior. The background to this

community, and the teaching of virtues such as perseverance, is the prevailing Japanese belief that socially recognised
positive character traits such as diligence and perseverance

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 『教育科学論集』第 27 号 2024 年 3 月

are formed in a demanding educational environment. Anyone workload that goes beyond the actual teaching workload. A
who has gone through the relevant education must have teacher in Japan can hardly escape this workload.
developed these character traits. This way of thinking leads to Co-operative management imposes a lot of additional work
a focus in the education system on entrance exams rather than on the individual teacher, which is checked by the strict control
final exams. This phenomenon, known today as "exam hell", of the Ministry of Education, which also monitors strict
can still be observed today (Drinck, 2017, p. 90; Maehara, 2014, adherence to the curriculum (Shimahara, 2001, p. 95). As a
p. 124). result of these factors, the majority of Japanese teachers do not
The individual pressure and widespread competition leave the school building before 6.00 pm and therefore have
associated with exam hell has led to the emergence of a private one of the longest working hours of any teacher in the world
education system, particularly since the 1970s/80s. In addition with over 50 hours per week (Sato & Kleinsasser, 1996, p. 809).
to the public educational institutions described above, cram Furthermore, the high average class size of 30 to 40 pupils has
schools, known as "juku", were established. Pupils attend a negative impact on the stress management of Japanese
these alongside public schools in order to be able to perform as teachers. Due to the rather irregular working hours, stress
expected, but this leads to constant fatigue, exhaustion and symptoms and burnout phenomena spread among teachers,
social conflicts such as bullying and violence towards which can also affect the quality of teaching. However,
classmates and teachers (Maehara, 2014, p. 133), as well as an Japanese teachers are said to have a high level of discipline
alarming increase in the suicide rate and a decline in family and a remarkable sense of duty, meaning that sickness rates
ties (Drinck, 2017, pp. 90-91). among teaching staff are low. Only around a seventh of
teachers work part-time. This is characterised by significantly
3. Selection of Current Challenges the more difficult framework conditions (fixed-term contracts,
Japanese Education System faces lower salary, annual school changes) than full-time work
3.1 Demographic Change (Sächsischer Lehrerverband, 2022).
Demographic change generally refers to the change in a To become a teacher in Japan, students need to study usually
population structure. It is a process that continuously changes for four years (in exceptional cases two years at a junior college
the size, distribution and structure of the population (Feifel, to become elementary school teachers). In addition to the
2015, p. 19). Not only personal decisions such as marriage play credit points earned during the course of studies, two to six
a major role in this process, but also environmental factors as weeks of internships are necessary to get a teacher license.
well as political conditions and decisions. Considering the short time of practical experience, the
Demographic change in Japan is progressing steadily and is Japanese model of teacher education tends to be characterised
characterised by a low birth rate combined with a high life by a lack of professionalism. There is then a possibility of great
expectancy and a low immigration rate (Feifel, 2015, p. 21). tension when it comes to internships or the start of the
This is one of the most important social developments of our demanding career of young professionals (Shimahara, 2001, p.
century and is characterised by increasingly significant shifts 96).
in population structures. Not only in Japan, but also in other
countries worldwide like Germany, this process poses a 4. Discussion of possible Solutions to the
number of different challenges. Not only can it have socio- mentioned Problems
political consequences, but it can also cause macroeconomic The Japanese school system is facing a number of challenges
problems. In Japan, however, the change caused by that affect students, teachers and society as a whole. To
demographic change is particularly advanced and intense successfully address these challenges, far-reaching reforms
(Feifel, 2015, p. 31). and a comprehensive review of the education system are
However, demographic change is not progressing evenly in all needed. Promoting critical thinking, supporting students’ and
geographical regions. For example, it depends on the choice of teachers’ mental health and creating a more inclusive and
location. The majority of all school leavers who decide to study flexible curriculum are crucial steps in this direction (Drinck,
are located in urban centres, which will lead to further 2017, p. 92).
consequences of demographic change in rural regions (DAAD- An approach to reducing working hours for teachers could be
Bildungssystemanalse, 2017, p. 5). opening up to more labour migration and thus also
counteracting demographic change (Feifel, 2015, p. 42).
3.2 Work Overload Through labour migration, the education system could also
The Japanese school system is characterised by an enormous open up in terms of an international update and address the

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 The Education System of Japan 『教育科学論集』第 27 号 2024 年 3 月

challenges of globalisation, as there is an increasing demand Maehara, K. (2014), A critical historiographical analysis of
to deal with these (Drinck, 2017, p. 91). However, Feifel (2015, Japan’s educational policies from the end of the World War II
p. 38) points out that immigration can only alleviate the to 2011. Italian Journal of Sociology of Education, 6(2), pp.115-
problem, but not solve it entirely, as it would be difficult to 143.
generate enough migration to Japan to keep the population at http://www.ijse.eu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/2014_2_6.pdf.
a constant level. In addition, the idea of large-scale migration
to Japan is met with scepticism in Japanese society, as this OECD (2018), Japan – Student Performance (PISA 2018),
could affect social peace (Feifel, 2015, p.42). A further measure https://gpseducation.oecd.org/CountryProfile?primaryCountr
to counteract demographic change could be more incentives for y=JPN&treshold=10&topic=PI, 26.01.2024.
teachers to work in rural areas (Asgari, 2016, p. 69).
An increase in teacher salaries could also be an aspect to be Sächsischer Lehrerverband (2022), Im Gespräch mit
considered to be implemented by the Japanese state in order Bildungsexperten aus Japan,
to counter the shortage of teachers. In addition to working https://slv-gewerkschaft.de/im-gespraech-mit-
hours and salary increases, continuous training and support bildungsexperten-aus-japan/,26.01.2024.
should be provided for teachers to improve their teaching and
keep up with the latest educational developments (Asgari, Sato, K., & Kleinsasser, R. C., (2004), Beliefs, practices, and
2016, p. 69). interactions of teachers in a Japanese high school English
The introduction of a more flexible curriculum could provide department. Teaching and teacher education, pp.797-816,
a space for critical thinking and creative learning and not only https://www3.nufs.ac.jp/~yoshi/paper/Sato%20&%20Kleinsas
encourage student interest but have the positive effect of ser,%202004.pdf, 25.01.2024.
minimising teacher stress. Following on from this, the
curriculum could be updated to meet the demands of the 21st Shimahara, N. K., (2001), Die berufliche Weiterbildung von
century. Grund- und Sekundarschullehrern in Japan - In: Zeitschrift
Implementing these solutions requires the co-operation of für Pädagogik 47.
educational institutions, government, teachers, parents and https://www.pedocs.de/volltexte/2012/5262/pdf/ZfPaed_1_200
society as a whole. Continuous monitoring and evaluation of 1_Shimahara_Berufliche_Weiterbildung_D_A.pdf,
progress is also crucial to ensure that the Japanese school 26.01.2024.
system provides the best educational opportunities for its
students in the long term and successfully overcomes the
challenges.

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