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Pre-higher Education System
Duration of compulsory
education
Age of entry: 6
Age of exit: 15
Structure of school
system
Type/level of education:
Primary
Type of school:
PRIMARY
Length of program (years):
6
Age level:
from 6 to 12
Certificate awarded:
LEAVING CERTIFICATE
Type/level of education:
Lower Secondary
Type of school:
LOWER SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Length of program (years):
3
Age level:
from 12 to 15
Certificate awarded:
CHUGAKKO SOTSUGYO SHOMEISHO (LOWER
SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAVING
CERTIFICATE)
Type/level of education:
Upper Secondary
Type of school:
UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Length of program (years):
3
Age level:
from 15 to 18
Certificate awarded:
KOTOGAKKO SOTSUGYO SHOMEISHO (UPPER
SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAVING
CERTIFICATE)
Type/level of education:
Upper Secondary
Type of school:
PART-TIME UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Length of program (years):
4
Age level:
from 15 to 19
Certificate awarded:
KOTOGAKKO SOTSUGYO SHOMEISHO (UPPER
SECONDARY SCHOOL LEAVING
CERTIFICATE)
Type/level of education:
Upper Secondary
Type of school:
CORRESPONDENCE UPPER SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Length of program (years):
4
Age level:
from 15 to 19
Description of
secondary school system
Secondary education (National and Private) includes:
Lower secondary education, 3 years, Upper secondary education, 3
years. Entrance to public lower secondary schools is by allocation
of the local education board, but entrance to private or national
schools is by examination. A number of private schools offer six
years of continuous education, covering the lower secondary and
higher secondary cycles.In the second and third year of lower secondary
schools, attendance at JUKU (private examination preparation schools)
is common. There are three types of upper secondary school courses:
full-time, part-time and correspondence. Entrance to upper secondary
schools is by examination or selection. In 1988 a new type of school
called 'credit-system upper secondary school' was inaugurated.
Higher Education System
Structure of system
Higher education is provided by universities 'daigaku',
junior colleges 'tanki-daigaku' and colleges of technology 'koto-senmongakko'.
These institutions may be public (national, prefectural or municipal)
or private. The Ministry must approve the foundation of institutions
of higher education and they are under its control. Some 70 per
cent of the 'daigaku' and 85 per cent of the 'tanki-daigaku' are
private institutions. Universities comprise one or several faculties
offering four-year courses in a variety of subjects. Public universities
are financed mainly from national and local funds. Private universities
and colleges are financed by students' fees and private funds. The
national government provides private institutions with grants for
about one-third of current expenditures. Junior colleges provide
two- to three-year courses which do not lead to a first degree,
but credits obtained may be counted as part of the credits leading
to a degree. Colleges of technology offer five-year courses, the
last two of which are at post-secondary level. They train technicians,
but do not grant university-level qualifications. Holders of technicians'
certificates may, however, apply for admission to the third year
of a university course. Two national universities, the Technological
University of Nagaoka and Toyohashi University of Technology, provide
4-year graduate courses.
Main types of
higher education institutions in country
Type of institution:
DAIGAKU
Translation:
UNIVERSITY
Type of institution:
TANKI-DAIGAKU
Translation:
JUNIOR COLLEGES
Type of institution:
KOTO-SENMONGAKKO
Translation:
COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
Main laws/decrees
governing higher education
Name of law/decree:
Fundamental Law of Education
Date:
1 April, 1901
Institution type: universities,
junior colleges, colleges of technology
Administrative structure
of higher education
Name of body:
Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture (Monbusho)
Role:
Government Ministry responsible for education, science and culture
Address:
Street: 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 100
Telephone: 81-3-35814211
Fax: 81-3-35819149
Name of body:
Japanese University Accredidation Association
Address:
Street: 2-7-13 Sadohara-cho Ichigaya, Shinjuku-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 162
Telephone: 81-3-52282020
Fax: 81-3-52282323
Name of body:
Japanese Association of National Universities
Address:
Street: 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 113
Telephone: 81-3-38130647
Fax: 81-3-38188656
Name of body:
Japan Association of Municipal & Prefectural Colleges &
Universities
Address:
Street: 3-2-3 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku c/o Kokuritu Kyoiku Kaikannai
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 100
Telephone: 81-3-35802046
Fax: 81-3-35804580
Name of body:
Association of Private Universities of Japan
Address:
Street: 4-2-25 Kudan-kita, Chiyoda-ku, c/o Shigaku kaikannai
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 102
Telephone: 81-3-32617048
Fax: 81-3-32610769
Academic year
Classes start:
April
Classes end:
March
Long vacation:
from 15 July, to 31 August
Languages of instruction
Japanese
Stages and Organization of
Higher Education Studies
Higher vocational/technical studies
Colleges of Technology require for admission the
completion of lower secondary schooling. They aim to conduct in
depth teaching in specialized subjects and to develop in students
such abilities as are required for vocational life. A College of
Technology usually offers several courses in engineering and mercantile
marine studies. The duration of the course is five years (five and
a half for mercantile marine courses). There are a variety of main
courses including those in mechanical engineering, electric engineering,
ecectronic control, information technology, chemical engineering,
civil engineering, mercantile and marine management information.
University level studies
Stage 1:
Higher education/ University study
Description: Higher education consists of a four-year
course (six years in medicine, veterinary medicine and dentistry).
Since 1979, applicants to national and public universities have
had to sit for the 'Unified First Stage Examination' before passing
entrance examinations. In addition to study in a specialized field,
general education (which includes humanities, social and natural
sciences) is obligatory for every student. A credit system is used
and the minimum requirement for graduation is the acquisition of
124 credits (in medicine and dentistry, separately designated) including
credits in general subjects, foreign languages and health and physical
education. In the case of junior colleges, the minimum requirement
is the acquisition of more than 62 credits for two-year courses
and 93 for three-year courses. The degree awarded at the end of
the first stage is that of "gakushi"(Bachelor's degree).
Stage 2:
Further specialization
Description: Further specialization takes place in
postgradute schools "daigaku-in", which do not exist in every university,
and leads after two years to the "shushi" (postgraduate diploma
or degree). It requires a number of additional credits, a research
thesis and a final examination. There is no postgradute diploma
for medical studies, but doctorates may be obtained.
Stage 3:
Specialization and individual research
Description: The third stage leads to the highest
university degree, the "hakushi" (doctorate). Studies last a minimum
of three years following the "shushi" (four years in medicine and
dentistry). Candidates to the "hakushi" must submit a thesis and
undergo a final examination.
Teacher education
Training of primary/basic
school teachers
Most elementary school teachers are trained in four-year
undergraduate courses at national universities, although some are
trained at private universities and junior colleges.
Training of secondary
school teachers
Lower secondary school teachers have mainly taken
a four-year undergraduate course, while upper secondary school teachers
are required to take both undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
Training of higher education
teachers
There is no certification system for teachers at
institutions of higher education. Qualifications for teachers at
universities (including graduate schools), junior colleges and colleges
of technology are specified in the ordinances of the Ministry of
Education, Science and Culture entitled "Standards for the Establishment
of Universities", "Standards for the Establishment of Graduate Schools","Standards
for the Establishment of Junior Colleges" and "Standards for the
Establishment of Colleges of Technology".
Non-formal studies
Distance higher education
In 1983 the University of the Air (Hoso Daigaku)
was established under government auspices. It is a degree-granting
institution and uses radio, television and other media. It promotes
collaboration with other private and public universities by increasing
mutual recognition of earned credits, by developing the exchange
of teaching staff and by making broadcast material available to
other universities.
Lifelong higher education
The Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture
promotes specific existing institutions which provide people with
learning opportunities in the form of non-formal education. The
Ministry has created a Lifelong Learning Bureau and Lifelong Learning
Council. There are also correspondence and evening courses offered
by universities and colleges. In principle, they are virtually identical
to daytime courses.
Higher education in industry
Companies offer in-service training for adults.
This involves intensive freshman training, as well as on the job
and collective training.
Grading system
Usual grading system
in (upper) secondary school
Grading is on a scale of
5.
Highest on scale:
5 maximum
Pass/fail level:
2 minimum pass mark
Lowest on scale:
1 fail
Main grading system generally
used by higher education institutions
A variety of grading systems is used, but the most
common is the percentage scale with 60 per cent as the pass mark.
A=80-100% B=70-79% C=60-69% F= (fail)0-59%
Highest on scale:
100%
Pass/fail level:
60%
Lowest on scale:
0%
Admissions to Higher
Education
Admission to Vocational/Technical Studies
Admission to higher vocational/technical
or other professionally oriented non-university level studies
Secondary school credential/certificate/diploma(s)
required for entry
Name of sec. school credential:
KOTOGAKKO SOTSUGYO SHOMEISHO
Total number of years of
primary and secondary school study: 12
Admissions
to university level
Secondary school credential/certificate/diploma(s)
required for entry
Name of sec. school credential:
KOTOGAKKO SOTSUGYO SHOMEISHO
Total number of years of
primary and secondary school study: 12
Other admission requirements
established at national level:
Scholastic achievement tests, including the nation-wide
entrance examination administered by the National Centre for University
Entrance Examinations.
Admission for foreign students
Special entry regulations
for foreign students in country/state:
A visa granting foreign student
status must be obtained before entering Japan
Language proficiency
requirements for foreign applicants whose first language is not
the language of instruction
Are there examinations at
institution level? Y
Other special academic
requirements for foreign students set up at national level:
Foreign students must have completed 12 years of formal
school education (or recognized equivalent) for undergraduate studies,
16 years for graduate studies and 18 years for studies in medicine
or dentistry. Individual institutions provide orientation courses
for incoming foreign students.
Name of national/central
body: Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture
Address of body:
Street: 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 100
Telephone: 81-3-35814211
Fax: 81-3-35819149
Reference to further
information materials on foreign students admissions
Title:
Student guide to Japan
Publisher: Association of
International Education
Title:
ABC's of study in Japan
Publisher: Association of
International Education
Title:
Japanese Colleges and Universities
Publisher: Association of
International Education
Recognition of studies
and qualifications
Recognition of
studies completed and credentials awarded in foreign countries
Bodies primarily addressing
questions relating to the recognition of foreign credentials and
studies in higher education
Name of body: Ministry
of Education, Science, Sports and Culture
Address:
Street: 3-2-2 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 100
Telephone: 81-3-3581.4211
Fax: 81-3-3581.9149
Principal multilateral agreements adopted by the country relating
to recognition of studies, degrees and diplomas
Name of agreement: REGIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RECOGNITION
OF STUDIES, DIPLOMAS AND DEGREES IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN ASIA AND
THE PACIFIC
Student services
Main student services
at national level
Name of service: International
Student Institute
Address:
P.O. Box: 3-22-7
Street: Kitashinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
City: Tokyo
Category of service provided:
Special services/Centre for foreign students
Are these services available
to foreign students? Y
Name of service: Kansai
International Student Institute
Address:
P.O. Box: 2-5-1
Street: Ongimachi, Kita-ku, Osaka-shi
City: Osaka
Category of service provided:
Special services/Centre for foreign students
Are these services available
to foreign students? Y
Name of service: Information
Centre, Association of International Education
Address:
P.O. Box: 4-5-29
Street: Komaba, Meguro-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 153
Category of service provided:
Social and welfare services
Category of service provided:
Special services/Centre for foreign students
Are these services available
to foreign students? Y
Student expenses and financial
aid
| Tuition and fees for national students |
Tuition and fees for foreign students |
| Minimum: Yen 447600 |
Minimum: |
| Maximum: Yen 1360500 |
Maximum: |
Main body(ies) providing
information on foreign student financial aid
Name: Japanese diplomatic
missions abroad (preliminary selection, Monbusho Scholarship
Address:
Name: Student Exchange
Division,Science and International Affairs Bureau,Min.Ed.Sc.Cul
Address:
P.O. Box: 3-2-2
Street: Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 100
Grants/scholarships:
Y
Publication(s)
listing scholarships/grants/loans available
Title:
Study Abroad 1996-1997
Publisher:
UNESCO
Year of publication: 1995
International Cooperation
Principal national bodies responsible for facilitating international
cooperation and exchanges in higher education
Name: Association of
International Education
Address:
P.O. Box: 4-5-29
Street: Komaba, Meguro-ku
City: Tokyo
Postal code: 153
Participation of country in multilateral
or major bilateral higher education exchange programmes
Name of programme: Asia
and the Pacific Programme of Educational
Innovation for Development
(APEID)
Name of programme: Asia-Pacific
Programme of Education for All (APPEAL)
Name of programme: APEC Education
Forum
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