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In many societies today, educational aims or goals are commonly characterized in terms of “equality,” “equal opportunity,” “equal access” or “equal rights,” the underlying assumption being that “equality” in some form is an intelligible and sensible educational ideal. Yet, there are different views and lively debates about what sort of equality should be pursued; in particular, the issue of equality of educational opportunity has served as justification for much of the postwar restructuring of educational systems around the world. The author explores different interpretations of the concept of equality of educational opportunity in Japan, especially as applied to post-World War II educational policies. By focusing on the positions taken by key actors such as the major political parties, central administrative bodies, teachers’ unions, and scholars, he describes how their concepts have developed over time and in what way they relate to the making of educational policy, especially in light of Japan’s falling birthrate and aging society.
” Clearly written, this is a concise guide to Japan’s post-imperial history of education that highlights all the key points of post-war educational history. A glossary of Japanese terms and list of abbreviations, as well as three appendices, provide the reader with handy references.” · Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute
“… a significant contribution to knowledge in the field of Japanese educational studies. The author provides detailed analysis of the theme of educational opportunity in post-war Japan ...[and] makes available to an audience that cannot read Japanese a wealth of detail about this key area of educational policy and practice.” · Robert W. Aspinall, Shiga University
“This is a good piece of work on history of ‘equal opportunity’ in Japanese education. It covers historical changes of education policies and educational thoughts behind them in postwar Japan, with a comparative view to the West… there are few works on this on this topic published in English.” · Takehiko Kariya, Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies, University of Oxford
List of figures and tables
Acknowledgements
Notes on Style
Japanese Terms
Abbreviations
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Initial Application of Equal Opportunity to The Education System in Japan, 1868-1944
Chapter 2. The Initial Position of the Concept of Equal Opportunity in Education, 1945-1950
Chapter 3. The Development of the New Perspective on Equal Opportunity in Education 1951-1959
Chapter 4. The Development of the Concept of Equal Opportunity Under the High Economic Growth Period 1960s-1970s
Chapter 5. From Human Capital to Market Values in Education: The 1980s to Present Day
Chapter 6. Educational Reform and Equality of Opportunity in Current Japan
Conclusion
Appendix I:The Japanese School System in 1937
Appendix II:The Japanese School System in the 1980s
Appendix III:The Japanese School System in 2008
Bibliography
Index