5 Special Education

During this period, there was a strong movement urging the compulsory education to handicapped children.

The Japan Society for the Protection of Mentally Retarded Children (Nihon Seishin Hakujakuji Aigo Kyokai) was established in 1934 and led the movement to enact a law providing educational facilities for mentally retarded children. Likewise, another movement campaigned for legislation for the education of crippled children by presenting petitions to the Imperial Diet and to the educational authorities. The Third Nationwide Conference for the Protection of Children convened in 1934 to urge the legislation of protective measures for crippled children. In March, 1935, the House of Representatives of the Imperial Diet issued an official statement urging the government to introduce such legislation. Furthermore, in March, 1938, the House of Representatives agreed with a petition presented to that House to enact such legislation.

In response to these movements, the 1937 Education Council took up the matter and in December, 1938, in its recommendations to the Prime Minister concerning National Schools, normal schools and kindergartens, the Council added a section on special education as Item 14 of Guidelines for National Schools and recommended a special budget to be created to enable the establishment of centers to care for mentally or physically handicapped children. Also in this Item the Council advised that education for the blind, deaf, and dumb (moroa kyoiku) should be made compulsory likewise as education which would be incorporated in the National School system. Based on the recommendations of the 1937 Education Council, the Ministry of Education prepared a budget for special schools for the handicapped (where attendance would be compulsory) at the time of the drafting of the National School Order, but as a consequence of the expansion of the China Incident (undeclared War against China) and certain changes in the Cabinet, the budget request was not appropriated. In March, 1941, however, Regulations for the Enforcement of the National School Order were issued in which Article 53 stipulated a program of special classes of schools for the protection of children such as the feeble, mentally retarded, and otherwise handicapped mentally or physically. Where possible special classes or schools were to be set up to accommodate the feeble, weak-sighted, poor of hearing, stuttering, crippled, and others respectively according to regulations issued in May, 1941. In April, 1944, other regulations were issued in line with the Middle School Regulations and the 1943 Girls' High School Regulations to institute these special classes in the middle schools and girls' high schools.

The Ministry of Education provided positive assistance and by 1944 there were 2,486 classes engaged in special education for the handicapped, though most were for feeble children. At the middle level education special classes for crippled children were established at Kudan Middle School in Tokyo in April, 1944. However, due to the deteriorating military situation, many of these special classes were forced to discontinue as the pupils had to be evacuated from the urban areas. By 1945, the total number of such c1asses decreased to 517 (462 at National Schools, 44 at middle schools and eleven at girls' high schools).

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