（3）The Kindergarten System

Under the School Education Law kindergartens were officially incorporated into the regular school system and national standards were established to apply to all kindergartens within the system. Accordingly, authorization to establish a local public or private kindergarten had to be granted by the national government to a local public body or a school juristic person.

The 1951 revision of the Child Welfare Law, which was promulgated on June 6, 1951, defined day nurseries as institutions that could provide care for infants and children up to the elementary school age who otherwise were deficient of care while kindergartens, as provided in the School Education Law, offered education to children from three years to school age. Thus kindergartens and day nurseries overlapped in terms of the age groups they served.

Table 6-1. Subjects and Number of Hours for Elementary Schools (1947)

Table 6-2. Subjects and Number of Hours for Lower Secondary Schools (1947)

A Course of Study for Kindergartens (Hoiku Yoryo) was published by the Ministry of Education in March, 1948, establishing standards for the educational content of kindergarten programs, and offering advice on facilities, equipment, and organization. The contents of the Course of Study were such that it became a standard reference work not only for kindergarten educators, but for nurses of day nurseries and for mothers in general.

Table 6-3. Subjects and an Example of Number of Hours for E ementary Schools (1951)

Table 6-4. Subjects and Number of Hours for Lower Secondary Schools (1951)

With the rapid expansion of the kindergarten system, the need arose for more specific standards to be set regarding physical plants. In response to this, the Ministry of Education issued a notice in May, 1952, concerning standards for kindergartens detailing the facilities, equipment, and organization best suited for the maintenance and improvement of the general level of kindergarten education.

Table 6-5. Subjects, Subject Subdivisions (Kamoku), and Number of Hours and Credits for Upper Secondary Schools (1951)