The Education System in Japan
Figure A-11. Levels of education in Japan, by age and year of schooling: 2013
NOTE: Education levels are defined according to the 1997 International Standard
Classification of Education (ISCED97). Ages represent the typical age at the beginning
of the school year. Numbers in bold print indicate ages of universal enrollment
(i.e., an enrollment rate of over 90 percent). Numbers highlighted represent the
age at which compulsory enrollment begins through the age at which compulsory enrollment
ends. No meaning should be inferred from width of subdivisions. Duration of first
university degree program is generally 4 years in Japan.
SOURCE: Miller, D.C. and Warren L.K. (2011). Comparative Indicators of Education
in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2011 (NCES 2012-007). U.S.
Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC:
U.S. Government Printing Office.
Preprimary:
- Common name: Yochien
- Ages of attendance: As early as age 3 through age 5
- Number of years: 1 to 3
- Start of universal enrollment: Age 4
- Compulsory: No
NOTE: Around 55 percent of 5-year-old students attend Yochien (kindergarten),
while most others attend Hoikusho (nursery schools that infants and younger
children can attend). Recently, Ninteikodomoen, a program that combines
Yochien and Hoikusho, was introduced in Japan.
Primary:
- Common name: Shogakkou
- Ages of attendance: 6 through 11
- Number of years: 6
- Universal enrollment: Yes
- Compulsory: Yes, begins at 6
Lower secondary:
- Common name: Chugakkou
- Ages of attendance: 12 through 14
- Number of years: 3
- Universal enrollment: Yes
- Compulsory: Yes
- Entrance/exit criteria: There are no examinations or other criteria to enter public
schools for the majority of students. Private schools (enrollment in which accounts
for 7 percent of all students) usually require a competitive examination for entry.
NOTE: Chutoukyoikugakkou, secondary schools that unify lower and upper
secondary schools, were introduced in Japan in 1999.
Upper secondary:
- Common name: Koutougakkou
- Ages of attendance: 15 through 17
- Number of years: 3
- Universal enrollment: Yes, through age 17
- Compulsory: No
- Entrance/exit criteria: Students in Japan are placed into upper secondary schools
based primarily on test scores and school report cards from lower secondary schools.
Scoring well influences students' chances of attending the most prestigious upper
secondary schools in their area.
NOTE: Juku refers to "cram school" or night school, which prepares students
for upper secondary school entrance exams and/or gives students remedial lessons.
Students may also choose to attend a college of technology (Koutousenmongakkou),
which combines 3 years of upper secondary education with 2 years of higher education
leading to the associate's degree. See below for details on Koutousenmongakkou.
Postsecondary and tertiary:
- Common name: Tankidaigaku, Koutousenmongakkou, Daigaku
- Ages of attendance: Varies
- Number of years: 2 (Tankidaigaku, junior college); 5 (Koutousen-mongakkou,
college of technology); 4 (Daigaku, university [excluding medical and dental
degrees]); 6 (Daigaku, university [medical and dental degrees])
- Universal enrollment: No
- Entrance criteria: To enter national universities, most students take an entrance
examination offered by the National Center for University Entrance Examinations
and an examination conducted by the university itself. For many universities, entrance
examinations are very competitive.
Common degree programs:
- Jun-gakushi (at college of technology): 5-year programs that combine
upper secondary education with vocational higher education. The first 3 years are
spent at the upper second-ary level and the last 2 years at the postsecondary education
level earning a jun-gakushi (associate's degree). These programs are given
at Koutousenmongakkou, in subjects such as public works, mechanical engineering,
and information technology.
- Jun-gakushi (at junior college): Programs normally requiring 2
years of study, taken at junior colleges (Tankidaigaku), that prepare students
for careers in fields such as home economics, humanities, education, and social
science. Junior colleges have traditionally enrolled mostly women.
- Gakushi: An academic degree normally requiring 4 years of study
that is similar to a bachelor's degree. Given at a Daigaku (college or
university). Preprofessional programs in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine
take 6 years.
- Shushi: Graduate program taken at a Daigaku that normally
requires 2 years of study beyond the bachelor's degree. Equivalent to a master's
degree in the United States.
- Hakushi: Academic graduate program at a Daigaku requiring
at least 5 years beyond the bachelor's degree. This degree is equivalent to a doctorate
in the United States.
Sources:
Marlow-Ferguson, R. (Ed.) (2002). World Education Encyclopedia: A Survey of Educational
Systems Worldwide, Vol. 1 (2nd ed.). Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group.
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. (2010). Tokyo: Author.
Retrieved March 26, 2013, from
http://www.mext.go.jp/list_001/list_016/__icsFiles/afieldfile/2010/09/08/mext_2010_e.pdf.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. (1996). Education at a Glance:
OECD Indicators. Paris: Author.
Robitaille, D.F. (1997). National Contexts for Mathematics and Science Education:
An Encyclopedia of the Education Systems Participating in TIMSS. Vancouver,
Canada: Pacific Educational Press.
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2000). The EFA
2000 Assessment: Country Reports, Japan. World Education Forum. Retrieved
April 17, 2013, from
http://www.unesco.org/education/wef/countryreports/japan/rapport_1.html.
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