（1）Reform Policy for the Middle Level Education System

The Middle Level School Order was promulgated on January 21, 1943 based on the earlier 1939 recommendations of the 1937 Education Council and put in force on April 1 of that year, replacing the 1899 Middle School Order, the Girls' High School Order and the Vocational School Order. For the enforcement of the Middle Level School Order the Middle School Regulations, the 1943 Girls' High School Regulations and the Vocational School Regulations were issued in March, 1943, and put in force in April of that year. The Middle Level School Order intended to coordinate the content and character of the existing different kinds of middle level schools such as the middle school, the girls' high school and the vocational schools. Indeed this Order represented the first time that the government used in a statute common phrase of "middle level schools" for the description of these diverse schools.

The Middle Level School Order said the aims of these schools were "To train the people for the Imperial Way through higher general education or vocational education." The graduates would become middle level leaders in the national effort. The Order gave the Minister of Education the power to request prefectures to expand their middle level schools.

In principle, the length of the courses of the middle level schools was to be four years, but girls' high schools could offer a two-year course and vocational schools could offer a three-year course for boys and two years for girls. This curtailment of lengths of courses was justified by saying it would enable middle level school students to engage in practical work as early as possible and thus help meet the national need for man-power. Schools with a four-year course could admit students who completed the primary course of the National Schools while those with a two- or three-year course could admit students who completed the higher course of the National Schools. Thus the graduates of the different middle level schools remained in school about the same number of years.

One of the more significant reforms enforced by the Middle Level School Order allowed middle level school students to transfer 1) between middle schools and vocational schools, 2) between girls' high schools and vocational schools, and 3) between different kinds of vocational schools, respectively in the third year and below. Also at middle level schools night courses could be established for graduates of the higher course of the National Schools.