1 The Character of Postwar Education

In August, 1945, World War 2 ended in Japan's defeat, and with the formal surrender of Japan, supreme authority passed into the hands of General Douglas MacArthur (1880 -1964), as the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP). Under SCAP, for the control of the Japanese government was established the General Headquarters (GHQ) and as one of the Special Staff Sections of GHQ the Civil Information and Education Section (CIE) was set up to advise SCAP on policies relating to "public information, education, religion, and other sociological and cultural problems of Japan."

GHQ's goal was to implement fundamental reforms throughout Japanese society in order to foster a democratic and peaceful nation, and the educational system was considered the cornerstone for this effort. In the rush to restructure the militaristic educational system, GHQ promoted some measures that failed to take Japan's unique cultural circumstances into account. Also, the speed with which these reforms were announced caused considerable confusion among those responsible for actual implementation. Despite these problems, the Occupation's reforms were successful in breaking down many traditional barriers that had obstructed educational change in Japan, and they set a stage for a new era in the development of the modern educational system.

During the Occupation's first phase, attention was given to those measures necessary to reopen schools which for all practical purposes ceased to function during the last stage of the war.

The second phase encompassed longer range planning, based on the deliberations of the newly-formed Education Reform Committee (Kyoiku Sasshin Iinkai). During this phase, educational reform was formalized by legislative actions which set forth the new 6-3-3-4 educational system and created a new system of educational administration.