Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPANESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION,SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1989 > Preface

Jananese education under the svstem introduced at the end of World War has since expanded and developed remarkably ; it has contributed substantially to the development of our country. Due to rapid social changes in recent years, however, a number of new issues have emerged in the field of education.

Our elementary and secondary education, because of its wider dissemination and high academic standards, has been highly evaluated internationally. However, newer problems have been revealed recently. The excessive competition in entrance examinations and the increase of maladjustment to school are among these problems. Furthermore, institutional and operational rigidity and uniformity are pointed out to be problematical.

There have been remarkable social changes toward an internationalized and information oriented society. The provision of an education that will remain responsive to these changes is another important task of the school system.

PartI of "Japanese Government Policies in Education. Science and Culture" for the fiscal 1989 deals specifically with the issues and the perspectives of our elemen tary and secondary education. This part presents the history of elementary and secondary education, various issues concerning school education, and the directions towards which our elementary and secondary education are headed.

PartII introduces by each area in education. science and culture, the current status of various initiatives related to educational reform and the main points of overall policies implemented by the Ministry of Education. Science and Culture.

We hope that this booklet will prove to be helpful in better understanding the promotion of educational reform and the ongoing trend of overall policies in education, science and culture in Japan.