Organization

Minister

Senior Vice Minister （2 persons）

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 administration such as policy evaluation, information disclosure, public relations, information processing, administering international relations, and international assistance cooperation.

 -Personnel Division
 -Management and Coordination Division
 -Budget and Accounts Division
 -Policy Division
 -International Affairs Division

Department of Facilities Planning and Administration

 Aiming for safe, secure, and rich educational facilities, the Department of Facilities Planning and Administration promotes improvement in earthquake resistance of school facilities, eco-schools, crime and accident prevention measures, and barrier-free facilities. It establishes Guidelines for Designing Educational Facilities. Furthermore, it promotes enhancement of national university campuses to support educational and research activities.

 -Facilities Planning Division
 -Local Facilities Aid Division
 -National Facilities Division
 -Technical Affairs Division

Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau

 Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau works to examine the basic direction of education policy by planning and proposing basic policies as well as working to advance education in which schools, families, and communities collaborate, promote libraries, museums, and specialized training colleges, facilitate education and training for gender equality, and add Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to education.

 -Policy Planning and Coordination Division
 -Analytical Research Planning Division
 -Lifelong Learning Promotion Division
 -Social Education Division
 -Gender Equality Learning Division
 -Educational Media and Information Policy Division

Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau

 Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau aims to develop education that gives children Zest for living, including solid academic abilities, rich humanity, and health and physical fitness.

 For example, in order to improve solid academic abilities, Elementary and Secondary Education Bureau is promoting small-group teaching and proficiency-dependent teaching. In order to foster richness in mind, it is promoting enhancement of moral education and experiential activities.

 Furthermore, MEXT is working on enhancing and improving the teacher training and licensing system in order to secure excellent people as teachers, who hold the key to school education results.

 -Elementary and Secondary Education Planning Division
 -Financial Affairs Division
 -School Curriculum Division
 -Student Affairs Division
 -Early Childhood Education Division
 -Special Needs Education Division
 -International Education Division
 -Textbook Division
 -Educational Personnel Division
 -School Management Support Division

Higher Education Bureau

 Higher Education Bureau is pursuing a variety of policies to promote higher education.

 Higher Education Bureau grants permission for the establishment of universities, junior colleges, and colleges of technology, and assures the quality of education through evaluations. It also supports university education reform and fosters the development of high-level professionals. At the same time, it performs administration for selection of students to enter schools, student support, internationalization and student exchange, and invigoration of incorporated national universities.

 In addition, it promotes private schools through tax incentives, subsidies, and administrative guidance and advice.

 -Higher Education Policy Planning 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.

 In addition, it is engaged in ensuring the safety of radiation and nuclear energy.

 -Policy Division
 -Research and Coordination Division
 -Knowledge Infrastructure Policy Division
 -Nuclear Safety Division
 -Planning and Evaluation Division
 -International Science and Technology Affairs 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 the utilization of quantum beam.

 In addition, it promotes industry-academia-government cooperation, strengthens intellectual property strategies, and develops research infrastructure such as research equipment.

 -Promotion Policy Division
 -Research Infrastructure and Industry-Academia Cooperation Division
 -Information Division
 -Scientific Research Institutes Division
 -Scientific Research Aid Division
 -Basic and Generic Research Division
 -Life Sciences 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 Antarctic/deep sea fields. This includes rockets and satellites, the nuclear fuel cycle and energy from nuclear fusion, and Antarctic observation and deep-sea exploration.

 -Research and Development Policy Division
 -Earthquake and Disaster-Reduction Research Division
 -Ocean and Earth Division
 -Environment and Energy Division
 -Space Development and Utilization Division
 -Atomic Energy Division
 -Space and Aeronautics Policy Division

Sports and Youth Bureau

 Sports and Youth Bureau is working to promote sports, including developing an environment where people can practice sports, enhancing the performance of top-level athletes such as Olympian, improving children’s fitness, and enhancing school physical education.

 In addition, it is promoting policies to protect children’s health and safety, such as ensuring children’s safety at school, school health, and food education.

 Furthermore, it is promoting nature hands-on activities and reading activities to foster health in youth.

 -Policy Planning Division
 -Sports-for-All Division
 -Competitive Sports Division
 -School Health Education Division
 -Youth Division
 -Physical Fitness Division/Youth Development Division

Director-General for International Affairs

 As the international contact point for MEXT, it promotes exchange activities and cooperative projects with a variety of countries.

 As the contact point in Japan for activities of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), an organization that pursues international peace, it works on the spread of education, scientific cooperation, the preservation of cultural heritages through UNESCO, and other business of the Japanese National Commission for UNESCO.

 It also undertakes activities to promote the UNESCO Associated Schools Project (ASP) and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), which are one of the UNESCO’s priorities.

Agency for Cultural Affairs

The Agency implements a variety of policies on the promotion of culture and the arts in order to enhance Japan’s “Power of Culture.”

To that end, it helps to foster artists and related personnel to nurture artistic activities. At the same time, it promotes regional culture, the preservation and utilization of cultural properties such as national treasures and historic sites, international cultural exchange, copyright protection and exploitation of works, the improvement and spread of the Japanese language, and Japanese classes for foreigners.

 It also does work related to religion.

Commissioner’s Secretariat

 -Policy Planning and Coordination Division
 -Copyright Division
 -International Affairs Division

Cultural Properties Department

 -Traditional Culture Division
 -Fine Arts Division
 -Monuments and Sites Division
 -Architecture and Other Structures Division

Cultural Affairs Department

 -Arts and Culture Division
 -Japanese Language Division
 -Religious Affairs 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

Special Institutions

The Japan Academy

The Headquarters for Earthquake Research Promotion

Japanese National Commission for UNESCO

Local Branch Offices

Mito Atomic Energy Office