Overview of the General Education System

Egalitarianism, national identity, and meritocracy anchored Japan’s roots in reforms after World War II, reflecting on present-day Japan’s education system. Unlike before the 1940s, access to education after primary school was limited. Nevertheless, the advent of reforms after the war created an “all middle-class society” wherein education opportunities were strengthened. A democratic education was the pillar of compulsory nine years of school, six years of elementary, and three years of lower secondary, and the expanding development of 150 new universities across the country.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) ruled the entire education system from early childhood through higher education. The MEXT is responsible for implementing the national curriculum, administering teacher licensure and certification systems, and distributing funding to prefectural and municipal education levels. The prefectural level has boards of education that organize school staffing and resource allocation, whereas the municipal boards supervise the daily operations of schools and teacher professional development.

Moreover, schools are identified into three categories: public, private, international, or religious, and the vast majority of students attend public institutions. The academic school year starts in April and ends in March, and is divided into three terms with summer, winter, and spring breaks in between. Classes are held five days a week, with some Saturday classes.

As for the curriculum, some revisions occurred approximately every ten years, making it evolve. For instance, after Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) scores declined, the 2013 curriculum reinstated instructional hours and increased academic rigor. In the previous years, revisions introduced cross-curricular competencies such as creativity, communication, and problem-solving. This shift also integrates programming into the primary and secondary curricula, introducing English as a graded subject in upper elementary, and focusing on scientific exploration and inquiry-based learning.

Apart from curriculum revisions, Japan also includes Special Needs Education institutions to cater to students with physical or mental disabilities. These systems offer programs tailored to support social participation and self-reliance. Japan also added moral education and collaborative activities through school lunches, field trips, and cultural events to promote holistic development.

In Japan, the compulsory education in covers nine years and comprises six years of elementary school and three years of lower secondary school. Children aged 6 to 15 are obliged for education, and all students follow the national curriculum without streaming or tracking by ability. There are two main types of pre-primary institutions in Japan, namely the kindergartens (yōchien), which are for children aged 3 to 6 and are academically inclined, and childcare centers (hoikuen), which emphasize care among younger children from birth to 6 years of age. Centers for Early Childhood Education and Care (nintei-kodomo-en) blend the features of both institutions.

After completing lower secondary school, almost all students continue to upper secondary school, with admission based on entrance exams held between January and March. There are also alternative paths, as Japan offers part-time and correspondence high schools, as well as integrated lower and upper secondary institutions.

Recent statistics indicate that as of March 2025, Japan achieved a literacy rate of 99%, positioning itself among the developed nations with the highest educational attainment. This figure reflects the effectiveness of Japan's educational system and its commitment to providing quality education to its citizens.

In Japan, the higher education landscape comprises five distinct types of institutions: colleges of technology, specialized training colleges, junior colleges, universities, and graduate schools. According to reports from 2023, the country has a record of 810 universities. Students who have completed 12 years of primary and secondary education are eligible to enroll in these institutions. That same year, nearly three million students were pursuing their studies at various universities across Japan, which reflect the significant role of higher education in the country's academic framework.

Similar to other countries’ educational systems, universities in Japan grant bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral degrees, while two-year programs in junior colleges offer early childhood education and health care. Apart from that, there are also five-year specialized programs available in technological colleges, which are primarily in engineering and industrial fields, starting at age 15. Students who graduate from junior colleges or technological colleges are eligible to obtain a bachelor’s degree by applying through the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement of Higher Education (NIAD-QE).

Furthermore, specialized training colleges offer both upper secondary and post-secondary vocational education across different fields, including technology, agriculture, business, fashion, and healthcare. To further develop technology and tourism, Japan in 2019 made professional and vocational universities available to train specialists in areas such as IT and tourism. These four-year institutions require students to complete at least one-third of their credits through practical training, including internships.

In graduate schools, doctoral programs are possible to be divided into two phases: the first lasting two years and the second three years. The undergraduate phases for disciplines in medicine, dentistry, and veterinary medicine last six years, and four more years for the graduate phases.