（2）The Development of Local Administrative Agencies Concerned with Education

Along with the reform of social education administration organization within the Ministry of Education, local administrative agencies underwent change as well. A request was made by a notice in May, 1920, to appoint social education officers in the prefectural governments, and on December 14, 1925, the Order on the Local Social Education Personnel System was promulgated as mentioned above to make way for the appointment of full-time social education supervisors and assistant social education supervisors to all the prefectures. Moreover, in April and May of 1932 notices were issued, respectively promoting the appointment of social education committeemen (shakaikyoiku iin) in the cities, towns, and villages throughout the nation.

On June 10, 1924, the Order on the Local School Hygiene Personnel System was promulgated, which came into force on that day to handle the administration of school hygiene. As a result of this action, a school hygiene engineer was assigned to each prefecture throughout the country. The costs incurred therein were to be covered by the individual prefectures. Then, on August 8, 1930, the Order on the Local Physical Education Personnel System was promulgated, which came into force on that day, and locally supported physical education supervisors (taiiku undo shuji) were appointed in the majority of prefectures.

With the reorganization of the prefectural government system enforced in July, 1926, the school affairs department, which had up till that time been a part of the home affairs department, was reestablished and the chief of the new department was given the task of local school inspection. As a result of further prefectural government's reform in March, 1928, fulltime prefectural chief school inspectors were appointed to the prefectures and at the same time qualification standards were set forth in an imperial order relating to conditions of appointment of prefectural chief school inspectors and school inspectors. Prefectural chief school inspectors were to be appointed from senior class educational personnel who were successfully selected by the Higher Civil Service Examination Committee (Koto Shiken Iin) and school inspectors were to be selected from educational personnel who were selected by the General Civil Service Examination Committee (Futsu Shiken Iin).

The Law concerning the Abolition of the County System was promulgated on April 12, 1921, and the counties (gun) were abolished with the enforcement of the Law on April l, 1923, but those educational affairs, which had heretofore been controlled by county officials, were transferred to prefectural jurisdiction later, in July, 1926.