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Education in the Empire of Japan was a high priority for its government, as the leadership of the earlyMeiji government realized the need for universalpublic education in its drive to modernize the nation.
During theEdo period, education that were given to thecommoners andoutcasts were limited to none. What these low-class people did learn was generally geared towards the basic and practical subjects such as reading, writing, and arithmetic.[1] By the late 1860s, the Meiji leaders had established a system that declared equality in education for all in the process of modernizing the country.
After 1868, new leadership set Japan on a rapid course ofmodernization. The Meiji leaders established a public education system to modernize the country. Missions like theIwakura Mission were sent abroad to study the education systems of leading Western countries. They returned with the ideas of decentralization, localschool boards, and teacher autonomy.[2][3] Such ideas and ambitious initial plans, however, proved very difficult to carry out. After some trial and error, a new national education system emerged. As an indication of its success, elementary school enrollments climbed from about 30% percent of the school-age population in the 1870s to more than 90 percent by 1900, despite strong public protest, especially against school fees.
In 1871, theMinistry of Education was established. Elementary school was made compulsory from 1872,[4] and was intended to create loyal subjects of the Emperor. Middle Schools were preparatory schools for students destined to enter one of the Imperial Universities, and the Imperial Universities were intended to create westernized leaders who would be able to direct the modernization of Japan. In December, 1885, thecabinet system of government was established, andMori Arinori became the firstMinister of Education of Japan. Mori, together withInoue Kowashi created the foundation of the Empire of Japan's educational system by issuing a series of orders from 1886. These laws established anelementary school system,middle school system,normal school system and animperial university system. With the aid offoreign advisors, such as American educatorsDavid Murray andMarion McCarrell Scott,normal schools forteacher education were also created in each prefecture. Other advisors, such asGeorge Adams Leland, were recruited to create specific types of curriculum.
By 1890,Imperial Rescript on Education was signed to articulate government policy on the guiding principles of education on the Empire of Japan. The Imperial Rescript along with highly centralized government control over education, largely guided Japanese education until the end ofWorld War II.
With the increasingindustrialization of Japan, demand increased forhigher education andvocational training. Inoue Kowashi, who followed Mori as Minister of Education established a statevocational school system, and also promotedwomen's education through a separate girls' school system.
Compulsory education was extended to six years in 1907. According to the new laws, textbooks could only be issued upon the approval of the Ministry of Education. The curriculum was centered onmoral education (mostly aimed at instillingpatriotism),mathematics, design, reading and writing, composition,Japanese calligraphy,Japanese history,geography, science, drawing, singing, andphysical education. All children of the same age learned each subject from a standardized set of textbooks.
During theTaishō and earlyShōwa periods, from 1912-1937, the education system in Japan became increasingly centralized. From 1917-1919, the government created the Extraordinary Council on Education (臨時教育会議,Rinji Kyōiku Kaigi), which issued numerous reports and recommendations oneducational reform. One of the main emphases of the Council was in higher education. Prior to 1918, "university" was synonymous with "imperial university", but as a result of the Council, many private universities obtained officially recognized status. The Council also introduced subsidies for families too poor to afford the tuitions for compulsory education, and also pushed for more emphasis onmoral education.
During this period,socialism andcommunism exerted influences on teachers and teaching methods. The New Educational Movement (新教育運動,Shin Kyōiku Undō) led to teachers unions and student protest movements against the nationalist educational curriculum. The government responded with increased repression, and adding some influences from theGerman system in an attempt to increase the patriotic spirit and step up the militarization of Japan. TheImperial Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors became compulsory reading for students during this period.
Specialized schools for the blind and for the deaf were established as early as 1878, and were regulated and standardized by the government in the Blind, Deaf and Dumb Schools Order of 1926. Blind people were encouraged toward vocations such asmassage,acupuncture,physical therapy, andpiano tuning.
After theManchurian Incident of 1931, the curriculum of the national educational system became increasinglynationalistic and after the start of theSecond Sino-Japanese War in 1937, the curriculum became increasinglymilitaristic and was influenced by ultranationalist Education MinisterSadao Araki.
In 1941, elementary schools were renamed National People's Schools (国民学校,Kokumin Gakkō, translated from GermanVolksschule) and students were required to attend Youth Schools (青年学校,Seinen Gakkō) vocational training schools on graduation, which mixed vocational and basicmilitary training (for boys) andhome economics (for girls). TheSeinen Gakkō also conducted classes at night for working boys and girls.
Normal schools were renamed Specialized Schools (専門学校,Senmon Gakkō), and were often affiliated with a university. TheSenmon Gakkō taughtmedicine,law,economics,commerce,agricultural science,engineering, orbusiness management. The aim of theSenmon Gakkō was to produce a professional class, rather than intellectual elite. In the pre-war period, all higher school for women wereSenmon Gakkō.
After the start of thePacific War in 1941, nationalistic and militaristic indoctrination were further strengthened. Textbooks such as theKokutai no Hongi became required to be read. The principal educational objective was teaching the traditional national political values, religion and morality. This had prevailed from theMeiji period. The Japanese state modernized organizationally, but preserved its national idiosyncrasies. Emphasis was laid on theEmperor worship cult, and loyalty to the most important values of the nation, and the importance of ancient military virtues.
After thesurrender of Japan in 1945, theUnited States Education Missions to Japan in 1946 and again in 1950 under the direction of theAmerican occupation authorities abolished the old educational framework and established the foundation of Japan'spost-wareducational system.
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