Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > EDUCATIONAL STANDARDS IN JAPAN 1965 > CHAPTER 4 (2) b

CHAPTER SUPPLY OF TEACHERS ANDPROVISION OF SCHOOL FACILITIES

The physical development of school children has been remarkable in recent years owing to the improvement of nutrition standards, wide spread of physical education and sports, careful provision of health supervision service, etc. The average height and weight of pupils at the age of fourteen in final stage of compulsory education, degenerated due to World War , but were improved by 1957. Since that time pupils' physical standard exceeded the standard before the War and has been raised year after year. In 1963 the average height of boys was 157.1 cm. and that of girls was 151.8 cm. and the average weight of boys was 46.6 kg. and that of girls was 45.8 kg.

Figure 18. Average height and Weight of Pupils Aged 14 1930-1963

Changes in the age of greatest growth of pupils are shown by the difference between the respective heights by age in 1950 and 1963. In 1950 the average increase of height of boys, from 14 to 15 years of age was 7.5 cm, but in 1963 the increase for the same age period decreased to 5.7 cm. and the largest increase of 7.3 cm. was shown between 12 and 13 years of age. Thus the period of greatest growth has become two years earlier in the period from 1950 and 1963. This trend is also true with girls and also in average measures of weight and girth of the chest.

Figure 19. Difference in Average Height of Pupils between Different Ages, 1950 and 1963