A Study Of Universal Compulsory Education In Modern Japan

Education is an essential cause to a nation and a county. One key signal of a country's modern civilization is the implementation of compulsory education. Since the Meiji Restoration, Japan has made the rapid popularization of compulsory education to raise the education level of the whole country which led this backward country in education into a state of advanced one. Besides, a lot of talents and intelligence are provided to guarantee the realization of capitalist modernization the result of which is that, in just a half-century, Japan has become one of the capitalist powers, walking ahead of the world. Taking a view of the universal compulsory education in Japan's modern history, people can insight into the interdependence and interaction between the educational development and economic society development, as well as explore the internal laws of education self-development.The era of Tokugawa Shogunate is an important one which casts great influence to modern Japan. The rapid development of Japanese education in the late of The Tokugawa Shogunate, especially that of Telakoya Education and rural school, lays a solid foundation for the popularization of primary education after the Meiji Restoration, after which Japan embarked on rapid development of capitalism. Meiji government made an active promotion of universal education, regarding education as an important means to develop industry, enrich the country and strengthening the national defense. Through the study and modeling of European and American education system, the government enacted, in 1872, Educational System (gakusei) in 1872 to bring universal eight-year primary education, establish universal primary education system. Subsequently, the government promulgated Education Order (Kyoiku-rei), Revised Education Order (Kaisei-Kyoikurei) and the RE-revised Education Order to adjust the policy of universal primary education, reduce the length of universal primary education, and promote the development of primary education.These orders are mandatory and are the legal protection for universal compulsory education in Japan. The promulgation of "Primary and Secondary Schools Order" marked Japan's formal proposal and implementation of compulsory education. Under the guidance of Mori Arinori's education thought of nationalism, "Elementary School Order"was enacted in 1886, which proposed the democratization of four-year compulsory education and formally established the universal compulsory education system in modern times. With the rapid development of primary and secondary schools, the enrollment of school-age children has improved significantly and the government steadily increased its expenditures for education, primary schools were funded from the state treasury system. The enactment of "Normal School Order" established teachers'education system. In 1900, Japan implemented four-year free compulsory education. In 1907 the implementation of six-year free compulsory education was proposed. In 1910, six-year compulsory education became basically universal in Japan which made it become the first modern oriental country to achieve universal six-year compulsory education.The length of years of universal compulsory education is an important indicator in measuring the national education capacities. With the realization of democratization of six-year compulsory education, the interim Education Conference in 1917 proposed the concept of eight-year compulsory education. After that, eight-year universal compulsory education was repeatedly proposed, and active preparations were made to implement the eight-year compulsory education. As a result, "National School Order" was promulgated in 1941, according to which eight-year compulsory education was to be implemented from 1944. The outbreak of World War II led Japan to enter the wartime state, and until the end of World War II, the popularization of 8-year compulsory education remained unfulfilled.The rapid achievement of universal compulsory education in modern Japan is due to many important political, economic, cultural and other reasons. In Japan, education has been regarded as the foundation for building the country and the implementation of universal compulsory education is carried out strategically that education can rejuvenate a country; some politicians, the Enlightenment thinkers and educators actively promote the education ideology of universal compulsory education, which provides an important direction of public opinion, and creates a favorable atmosphere of the society ; the general public show great enthusiasm and unfailing support to the popularization of compulsory education, they pay great attention to education and set up schools. During the process of universal compulsory education, they attach importance to legislation, and have promulgated a series of education laws and regulation, such as "Educational System", "Education Order", and "Elementary School Order", and "Normal School Order", which provide legal protection for universal compulsory education. The increasing investment in education and the progressive introduction of free compulsory education provide an important economic base and financial guarantees. The adherence to the principle of balanced development of compulsory education stimulates the overall access to compulsory education in both the urban and the rural areas. The adherence to the principles of development according to local conditions makes universal compulsory education more in line with Japan's economic and social development reality.The great efforts to develop teacher education, the establishment of the normal schools and the great efforts to train primary school teachers all safeguard enough and qualified teachers. Having traversed a very unusual way, universal compulsory education in modern Japan has made remarkable achievements and accumulated rich experience, but it has also gone through many hard times and has suffered damages and crisis. In studying the universal compulsory education in modern Japan, we can learn advanced experience and throw the mistakes, so that we can make the past serve the present and Japanese things serve China. A more concrete and in-depth analysis and study of Japan's universal compulsory education in modern times is still a subject which needs to explore in the field of foreign education history.