Organization Chart
National Councils
Organization and Function
Minister
State Minister(2 persons)
Parliamentary Vice-Minister(2 persons)
(Administrative) Vice Minister
Deputy Minister (2 persons)
Minister's Secretariat
The Minister's Secretariat has comprehensive responsibility for coordinating MEXT's overall policies. In addition to general management functions such as personnel, general affairs and accounting, it performs overall administrative functions such as policy evaluation, information disclosure, public relations, information processing, administering international relations and international cooperation.
- -Personnel Division
- -Management and Coordination Division
- -Budget and Accounts Division
- -Policy Division
- -International Affairs Division
Director-General for International Affairs
As the contact point in Japan for activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the Director-General for International Affairs works on activities of the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO. The objective of UNESCO is to contribute to international peace and the common welfare of mankind by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture. Special emphasis is currently placed on promoting Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) and activities of the UNESCO Associated Schools Project Network
(ASPnet).
Department of Facilities Planning and Disaster Prevention
Aiming for safe, secure and high-quality education facilities, the Department of Facilities Planning and Disaster Prevention promotes improvement in the earthquake resistance and disaster prevention functions of school facilities including nonstructural parts*, and also promotes Eco Schools and operates measures for aging facilities, while establishing guidelines for maintaining school facilities. The department gathers information on damage upon the occurrence of a disaster and assists schools in disaster recovery. Moreover, it promotes the enhancement of national university campuses to support educational and research activities.
* Nonstructural parts: Parts other than the structures of a building, such as ceiling materials, lighting equipment, window glass, exterior materials, interior materials, facility equipment, furniture, etc.
- -Policy Division
- -Local Facilities Aid Division
- -National Facilities Division
- -Disaster Prevention and Technical Affairs Division
Education Policy Bureau
Education Policy Bureau promotes the entirety of education policy comprehensively in a cross-sectoral manner to develop an environment to enable people to learn as needed and live a fruitful life.
In order to realize the concept of lifelong learning prescribed in the Basic Act on Education, MEXT plans and designs basic education policy based on comprehensive and objective evidence, and promotes lifelong learning, learning in local communities and learning for coexistence from the perspective of fostering personnel, developing an environment and offering support for businesses.
- -Policy Division
- -Educational Reform and International Affairs Division
- -Analytical Research Planning Division
- -Educational Human Resources Policy Division
- -Lifelong Learning Promotion Division
- -Community Learning Promotion Division
- -Gender Equality, Cohesive Society Learning and Safety Division
Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau
Elementary and Secondary Education Planning educational enhancements from preschools through elementary, lower and upper secondary schools or equivalent schools to foster the world's top level academic ability and normative consciousness.MEXT develops education to nurture in all children competencies for living, focused on the overall balance among academic ability, richness in mind and a healthy body, and promotes fostering of globally-minded individuals who will lead society in the future. MEXT also works to maintain and enhance the national educational level by improving
teachers' quality and constructing the necessary teaching frameworks for educators.
- -Policy Division
- -Financial Affairs Division
- -School Curriculum Division
- -Student Affairs Division
- -Early Childhood Education Division
- -Special Needs Education Division
- -Media, Information and Foreign Language Education Division
- -Textbook Division
- -Health Education and Shokuiku Division
- -Upper Secondary School Division
Higher Education Bureau
Higher Education Bureau promotes higher education focusing on undergraduate and graduate schools.MEXT pursues various policies as follows to promote higher education: grants permission for the establishment of universities, junior colleges, and colleges of technology; assures the quality of education through teacher evaluations; supports university education reform; and fosters high-level professionals. At the same time, MEXT performs administration for the selection of students' admission, student support, internationalization of universities and foreign student exchanges, and the invigoration of incorporated national universities.
In addition, the ministry promotes private schools through tax incentives, subsidies and administrative guidance and advice.
- -Policy Division
- -University Promotion Division
- -Technical Education Division
- -Medical Education Division
- -Student Support and Exchange Division
- -National University Corporation Support Division
Private Education Institution Department
- -Private Education Institution Administration Division
- -Private Education Institution Aid Division
- -Private Education Institution Management Division
Science and Technology Policy Bureau
Science and Technology Policy Bureau is planning and designing the basic policies to promote science and technology.
It intends to develop human resources in science and technology from students to lead researchers and engineers and strategically promotes international activities and the promotion of science and technology in regions.
- -Policy Division
- -Planning and Evaluation Division
- -Human Resources Policy Division
- -Research and Development Infrastructure Division
- -University-Industry Collaboration and Regional R&D Division
Research Promotion Bureau
Research Promotion Bureau advances policies to promote scientific research based on researchers’ creative ideas and basic research linked to future applications according to policy.
At the same time, it promotes scientific research through the development of the research institute facilities and provision of research aid, it promotes research in important fields such as life sciences, information technology, nanotechnology and materials, and partial and nuclear physics.
- -Policy Division
- -Basic Research Promotion Division
- -Scientific Research Institutes Division
- -Scientific Research Aid Division
- -Life Sciences Division
- -Information Science and Technology Division
- -Materials Science and Nanotechnology Division
Research and Development Bureau
Research and Development Bureau promotes research and development to address social problems such as environment and energy issues and earthquakes and disaster prevention. It promotes R&D on a national scale in the space, nuclear energy, and oceans and the earth. This includes rockets and satellites, the nuclear fuel cycle and energy from nuclear fusion, and Antarctic observation and deep-sea exploration.
- -Policy Division
- -Earthquake and Disaster-Reduction Research Division
- -Ocean and Earth Division
- -Environment and Energy Division
- -Space Development and Utilization Division
- -Atomic Energy Division
- -Nuclear Liability Division
Japan Sports Agency
Japan Sports Agency is working to promote sports-related policies and to realize a sports-oriented nation.
MEXT strives to promote community sports, enrich school physical education programs, enhance international competitiveness, and advance the Olympic and Paralympic movement. With the establishment of the Japan Sports Agency, MEXT aims to actively promote a healthy lifestyle through sports, sports for the disabled, regional and economic revitalization, and international exchanges and cooperation.
- -Policy Division
- -Sports for Health Division
- -Competitive Sports Division
- -International Affairs Division
- -Olympic and Paralympic Games Division
- -Community Development Division
- -Sports Organizations Support and Private-Sector Cooperation Division
Agency for Cultural Affairs
The Agency for Cultural Affairs aims to achieve a new "Nation Based on Culture and the Arts" through the promotion of arts and culture, ahead of the full-scale relocation of the Agency to Kyoto.
Ahead of the full-scale relocation to Kyoto (within FY2021 at the latest), the Agency for Cultural Affairs has worked on structural reform and strengthening of functions suited to its renewal, and implements a variety of policies on the promotion of culture and the arts towards realizing a "Nation Based on Culture and the Arts" (building the nation by promoting arts and culture as the nation's corepolicy).
In concrete terms, the Agency fosters artists and related persons to nurture artistic activities, promotes regional culture, preserves and utilizes cultural properties such as national treasures and historic sites, and promotes activities of museums, international cultural exchanges, copyright protection and exploitation of works, improvement and spread of the Japanese language, and Japanese language education for foreigners.
The Agency is also in charge of work related to religion.
- - Policy Division
- - Planning and Coordination Division
- - Cultural Economy and International Affairs Division
- - Japanese Language Division
- - Copyright Division
- - Cultural Resources Utilization Division
- - First Cultural Properties Division
- - Second Cultural Properties Division
- - Religious Affairs Division
- - Culture and Creativity Division
- - Arts and Culture Division
Special Institutions
The Japan Art Academy
Organs under MEXT’s Jurisdiction, etc.
- National Institute for Educational Policy Research
- National Institute of Science and Technology Policy