“SADucation” – A critical view on Japan’s education system

For a few minutes please go ahead and reminisce about your school times. Imagine being a teenager again, what thoughts and expectations you had back then. Now imagine your future depending on one exam and what feelings you would have gone through the week before the truth is revealed; whether you have passed or not. Even though you probably have other origins you can now somehow imagine how most Japanese school kids feel, because in Japan this isn’t just a vision; it’s reality.


Japanese junior- and high school pupils are trimmed to be perfectly prepared for such important moments which may be either promising or traumatizing. This rigid grading-method is causing unhealthy pressure on several teenagers. I heard of pupils suffering from chronic headache or nose bleeding caused by sleeplessness and depression. Their daily schedule usually is very strict. They don’t have time for relaxation and a healthy sleep-rhythm. However, many pupils seek relaxation and social-contact within club-activities which are an important part of the school system and of Japanese society as a whole. Club-membership is taken very serious because this is the only “class” which is usually designed and delegated by the pupils themselves. Therefore it may also be very stressful, especially for newcomers who initially will feel the squeeze of the hierarchy within. Unfortunately the typical school-day doesn’t end there. A high percentage of pupils participate in cram-schools which are giving them an opportunity to study even more or to keep up with the “better pupils”.


The overall quality of the national schools seems to be good but especially in private schools you can imagine that education and school activities are connected with high costs. If you can afford good education for your children they will probably have more perspectives than children who are attending schools without a proper reputation. But capitalism isn’t the only issue. Unfortunately it’s the competitive aspect which I’m really worried about. Competition is actually a very positive value but in Japan’s education it seems to be missing its pristine signification. The worst aspect is that the “competitors” have to decide about their educational career at an early stage. This has also an undeniable impact on their dreams and perspectives. Pupils who are unable to decide are either willing to do what their classmates do or are going to let their parents decide; important decisions which normally don’t fit the children’s individual personality.


So, why putting so much pressure on children? They have to deal with profound questions which shouldn’t be forcefully decided. Teenagers in their puberty and many even after are developing their psychology and are still in search of a proper identity. As for me I couldn’t imagine to be part of such a harsh educational system. In fact it took me a while to be sure about my future perspectives and retrospectively I’m glad the way everything worked out. Japanese pupils should get this chance too, because naturally everybody develops at a different pace. It seems to me that pupils who tend to be slow and who aren’t ready to decide, are at the same time considered to be noncompetitive and therefore weak. Strength and honor are still considered to be achievable values, whereas weakness remains disgraceful.

I have compassion for the Japanese adolescence. However, the problem is to be found in the Japanese working class. Its subjects have also suffered from the described education but obviously they don’t care about their offspring. Japan governmental system grants every citizen her/his right to vote. But do they use their right properly? Japanese society in general lacks of political interest and an awareness of their ability to change a system which needs a new and socially fair constitution since decades. The problem is to be found in the education itself. Group discussions for example are the exception at school. Pupils are in general too tired and timid to discuss. Frontal education constitutes the common state inside the classrooms. Sadly there is no space left for critical pedagogy.


University is the ultimate goal of a paradigmatic educational path (as long as you or your parents are able to afford it). Since the beginning of this semester I didn’t encounter any case of negatively stressed students. In fact I – as an international student who participates in the Asian Studies Program – was more stressed than most Japanese students I met so far. They told me something like: “University is more or less the leisure time between the tough school times and the sometimes even tougher occupation(s) later on.” I picked up some rumors saying that it doesn’t even matter what your major is, as long as you get a degree in the end. So some students possibly end up in business companies learning everything from scratch. Primarily traditional companies prefer employees who still can be “formed” rather than graduates with specific knowledge or expertise.


Recently I’ve visited an elementary school and was able to interact with some of the children there. I couldn’t feel any negative energy or pressure inside of the school facilities. Maybe the whole visit was staged but I think elementary schools are a safe and appropriate place for kids at these ages. The kiddies were full of energy, jumping around, singing, dancing and playing games with me and each other. It’s truly sad when I watch these “Genki kids” having fun, knowing at the same time what most of them have to go through in the near future.


All the statements above are based on experiences I made, first- and second hand reports I witnessed, and discussions I was part of since I’m in Japan. Hence they are not supposed to reflect a validly contemporary national status nor are they meant to be the last word.

For a brief description of the Japanese school system and organization please have a look at this website. I recommend reading this prior to posting a comment, especially if you don’t get my points and complaints.