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PART Recent Trends and Developments in Government Policies in Education, Science and Culture

Along with the expansion of Japanese activities in foreign countries there area rapidly increasing number of Japanese people staying abroad for a long period. The number of Japanese children of compulsory school age staying abroad with their parents was approximately 49,000 in 1990. More than 10,000 Japanese children of elementary and secondary school age returned to Japan in a year; from April 1989 to March 1990. The enrichment of educational programs for these two groups of children, i.e., those who are staying abroad and those who have returned from a long stay abroad, has become an important task for the Government with the aim of providing the former group of children with educational programs suitable for developing them into decent Japanese citizens living in the international community, and with the aim of providing the latter tour with appropriate educational opportunities to enable them to make the best use of their own qualities acquired during their stay overseas.

In order to promote educational programs for Japanese children staying overseas, the Ministry has taken a number of measures, including the sending of teachers to Japanese schools overseas, both full-time and part-time, and the providing of free textbooks for all Japanese children of compulsory school age who are staying abroad. In 1990 the Ministry began to place in each Japanese school a director in charge of school activities for international exchange with local people. This director will contribute to the promotion of education for international understanding at the Japanese school which he or she serves, and also to the development of more activities for educational, cultural and sports exchanges between children enrolled in the school and people in the community where they are living. In the same year, a new system was created by which all candidates for teachers serving Japanese schools overseas are duly registered and given adequate training in Japan before their appointment. The Ministry also started a study for developing an information system whereby Japanese schools overseas can be connected on line (through micro-computer communications) with various organs within Japan, which provide these schools with relevant educational information. Further, in order to promote educational programs for children who have returned from overseas (including Japanese orphans who have come back to Japan from China), the Ministry has taken various measures, including the creation of special classes for these children at some schools attached to national universities, the designation of a small number of pilot schools for conducting studies on the content and methods of teaching these children, and the designation of a small number of localities which are to devote much effort to accepting and taking care of these children.