Catalina Espinosa
Research expert covering society, economy, and politics for Europe and the EU
Education in Japan - statistics & facts
The Japanese education system has often been criticized for heavily valuing scores and rote memorization. Nonetheless, Japanese students have continuously scored above the worldwide average in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests that are conducted every three years by the OECD. The most recent results indicated that Japanese students in 10th grade were particularly proficient at mathematics and science. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) also assesses the academic ability in the subjects of Japanese and mathematics of students in primary and secondary schools annually. In 2024, the examined students achieved an overall score average of around 53 percent to 68 percent in all subjects.
¹ó´Ç°ù  tertiary education, students can choose from universities, junior colleges, or specialized training colleges, depending on the profession and subject. Schools in Japan can be categorized as national, public, or private. National schools are operated and financed by national university corporations, whose budget is largely covered by governmental funds and supplemented by tuition fees and university hospital revenue. Public schools are established by municipalities, and tuition fees are publicly funded, mainly by regional taxes.
To improve the score-oriented curriculum, the MEXT enforced the fifth education reform in 2020. The reformation aims to achieve active learning and foster independent thinking skills in schools. The Common Test for University Admissions was also updated accordingly and now includes description-type problems apart from multiple-choice questions.  
A recent alarming trend for school education in Japan is the increasing number of chronically absent students. As of the academic year 2022, around five percent of pupils did not go to primary or lower secondary school for more than 30 days because they refused to or were unable to attend. The most common reasons for this were general anxiety or uneasy relationships with schoolmates or parents. To alleviate this issue, an alternative schooling system, such as correspondence or free schools, was introduced. These schools offer homeschooling or flexible learning schedules and programs. Nevertheless, the number of those absentees at junior high schools has steadily increased in the last decade, reaching nearly 194,000 in the academic year 2022.
 School system in Japan
After the enactment of the School Education Act in 1947, the school system in Japan was primarily structured into six-year elementary schools, three-year junior high schools, three-year senior high schools, and four-year universities. School from first grade to ninth grade is considered compulsory. Subsequently, the government, municipalities, and guardians are legally obliged to ensure the education of all children aged six to 15 years old.¹ó´Ç°ù  tertiary education, students can choose from universities, junior colleges, or specialized training colleges, depending on the profession and subject. Schools in Japan can be categorized as national, public, or private. National schools are operated and financed by national university corporations, whose budget is largely covered by governmental funds and supplemented by tuition fees and university hospital revenue. Public schools are established by municipalities, and tuition fees are publicly funded, mainly by regional taxes.
To improve the score-oriented curriculum, the MEXT enforced the fifth education reform in 2020. The reformation aims to achieve active learning and foster independent thinking skills in schools. The Common Test for University Admissions was also updated accordingly and now includes description-type problems apart from multiple-choice questions.  
 Psychological pressure on children and long-term absentees from school
All schools except for public elementary and junior high schools have entrance exams. Students and their families strive for schools with the highest possible standard score. As a result, children may have a heavy workload and face significant psychological pressure to perform.A recent alarming trend for school education in Japan is the increasing number of chronically absent students. As of the academic year 2022, around five percent of pupils did not go to primary or lower secondary school for more than 30 days because they refused to or were unable to attend. The most common reasons for this were general anxiety or uneasy relationships with schoolmates or parents. To alleviate this issue, an alternative schooling system, such as correspondence or free schools, was introduced. These schools offer homeschooling or flexible learning schedules and programs. Nevertheless, the number of those absentees at junior high schools has steadily increased in the last decade, reaching nearly 194,000 in the academic year 2022.
