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JAPAN
History of

JAPAN
 Japan was settled about 35,000 years ago by Paleolithic people from
the Asian mainland. At the end of the last Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago, a
culture called the Jomon developed. The first era of recorded history in Japan
is the Kofun (A.D. 250-538), which was characterized by large burial mounds
or tumuli. 

How did Japan begin?

During this period, the first known written reference to Japan was
recorded in the Chinese Book of Han in the first century CE. Around the 4th
century BCE, the Yayoi people from the continent immigrated to the Japanese
archipelago and introduced iron technology and agricultural civilization
Who first discovered Japan?
Two Portuguese traders, António da Mota and Francisco Zeimoto (possibly a
third named António Peixoto), land on the island of Tanegashima in 1543. They are the
first documented Europeans to set foot in Japan.

When was Japan founded?

11 February 660 BC

Who colonized Japan?

Japan's first encounter with Western colonialism was with Portugal in the mid-
sixteenth century. The Portuguese brought Catholicism and the new technology of gun
and gunpowder into Japan. The latter changed the way samurai rulers fought wars, and
accelerated the process of national unification.
Why was Japan never
colonized?
Largely because Japan was
a powerful colonial empire itself
by that time. Also, early interests
in Japan were only commercial,
such as the introduction of the
first firearms to Japan from
Portugal, and there was not
much colonial interest at the
time in Asia in general by the
European empires.
About the Flag
The flag of the Empire of Japan
was adopted as a civil flag in
1868; it is officially
called Nisshōki and unofficially
Hinomaru. It features a plain
white field with red disc in the
centre. Since 1999 it has also
adopted as the national flag of
Japan.
 Japanese Currency

¥
 
Japanese
Yen
 Climate in Japan
Northern Japan has warm summers and very cold winters with
heavy snow on the Sea of Japan side and in mountainous areas.
Western Japan has very hot and humid summers (with temperatures sometimes
reaching 35 oC or above) and moderate cold winters. Okinawa and Amami
have a subtropical oceanic climate.

National Anthem of Japan

In terms of anthems, however, of all the countries spread across planet
Earth the nation with the shortest (and one of the oldest) national anthems
belongs to the island nation of Japan. Officially referred to as “Kimigayo”,
the title of this four line anthem can be translated to “His Imperial
Majesty's Reign
 Mission And Vision
Statement In Education
Vision and mission statements establish clear
expectations and standards for the whole school
community, and help the school reach common goals.
A vision is concise and easy to recall. ● A mission
statement provides an overview of the steps to
achieve that future vision.
 Mission
Statement In Education
School mission statements are documents that
define where your school is going and drive
decisions accordingly. They lay out educational
goals, community priorities and the purpose of
your school.
 Japanese School
• 6 yearsSystem
– Elementary
• 3 years – Junior high school
• 3 years – Senior high school
• 2 or 3 years – Junior colleges or
• 4 years – Colleges
Compulsory education lasts for 9 years
through elementary and junior high
school.
 Japanese Curriculum
Currently, Japan's primary school curriculum is
divided into three main categories: 
compulsory subjects, moral education, and
special activities.
Compulsory subjects are Japanese language,
Japanese literature, mathematics, social
studies, science, music, arts and handicrafts, and
physical education.
Japan’s
Educational
System
Preschool
and Day
Care
 Preschool and Day
 Predominantly staffedCare
by young female junior college
graduates and supervised by the Ministry of Education,
but are not part of the official education system.
 A well-developed system of
government-supervised day-care
centers (hoikuen) is supervised by the
Ministry of Labor.
Elementary
 Elementary
 All children enter first grade at age six.
 Public elementary education is free.
 Elementary school classes are large at about thirty-one
(31) students per class on average but higher numbers are
permitted.
 A Students are usually organized into
small work groups, which have both
academic and disciplinary functions.
 Elementary
 The ministry’s course of study is composed of a wide
variety of subjects, both academic and non-academic,
including moral education and special activities
 The standard academic curriculum
include Japanese language, social
studies, arithmetic, and science. Non-
academic subjects taught include art
and handicrafts, music, physical
education and moral education.
 Elementary
 Elementary teachers are generally responsible for all subjects,
and classes remain in one room for most activities. They have
ample teaching materials and audiovisual equipment.

 Elementary school children receive a

full lunch at school.
 Junior
High School
 Junior High
School
 Instruction in junior high schools tends to rely
on the lecture method.
 Classes are large, with thirty-eight (38)
students per class on average
 The teacher rather than the students, moves to
a new room for each fifty or forty-five minute
period.
 The school year begins in April and classes are
held from Monday to either Friday or
Saturday, depending on the school.
 Junior High
School
 The school year consists of two or three terms,
which are separated by short holidays in spring
and winter, and a six-week-long summer
break.
 Most students also participate in one of a range
of school clubs that occupy them until around
6pm most weekdays (including weekends and
often before school as well), as part of an
effort to address juvenile delinquency.
 Junior High
School
Learning Areas
Academic Others
- Mathematics - Industrial arts
- Science - Homemaking
- Languages - Moral Studies
- Social Studies
- Music
- Fine Arts
- Physical Education
 Junior High
School
Learning Areas
Academic Tech-Voc Courses
(1st year) (2nd year – 3rd year)
- Mathematics - Information
- Science processing
- Languages - Navigation
- Physical Educ. - Fish farming
- Business
- English
 Senior
High School
 Senior High
School
 The most common type of upper-secondary school
has a full-time, general program that offered academic
courses for students preparing for higher education as
well as technical and vocational courses.

 A small number of schools offer part-time

programs, evening courses, or
correspondence education.
 Teachers specialize in their major fields
although they teach a variety of courses with
their discipline.
 Senior High
School
 Teaching depends largely on the lecture system, with
the main goal of covering the very demanding
curriculum in the time allotted.
 Approach and subject coverage tends to be
uniform, at least in the public schools.
 Training of disabled students, emphasizes
vocational education to enable students to be
as independent as possible within society.
Universities
 Universities
 In 2010, more than 2-8 students enrolled in Japan’s 778
universities
 At the top of the higher education structure, these
institutions provide
- 4 years training leading to bachelors degree
- 6 years programs leading to a professional
degree
 Universities
 Two types of public 4 year colleges
- 86 national universities (including the open
universities).
- 95 local public universities which are founded by
prefectures and municipalities.
 The 597 remaining 4 year colleges in 2010 were private.
 Universities
 Popular courses
- social sciences - engineering
- business - humanities
- law - education
- accounting
 TO help defray expenses, students frequently work part-
times or borrow money through the government supported
Japan Scholarship Association, local government, non-
profit corporations and other institutions.
 Universities
 The quality of universities and higher education in Japan is
internationally recognized. There are 11 Japanese universities
in the 2006 TNES-QS World University Ranking.
Example: University of Tokyo -19th
Kyoto University – 23th
 In 2010 the QS ASIA University Rankings top 20 included
eight Japanese universities like the University of Tokyo again.
 Universities
 Out of the top 100 Asian universities in 2011’s Times Higher
Education-QS World University Ratings, 33 were Japanese
JUNIOR COLLEGES
 Mainly private institutions
 Legacy of the occupation period
 More than 90% of the students in the junior colleges are
women. Higher education for women is still largely perceived
as preparation for marriage or for a short-term career before
marriage.
 Universities
JUNIOR COLLEGES
 Junior colleges provide women with social credentials as well
as education and some career opportunities.
 These colleges frequently emphasize home economics,
nursing, teaching, humanities, and social sciences in their
curricula.
Special Training Schools
Training schools require upper secondary school completion.
 Universities
Special Training Schools
 Offer training in specific skills such as:
- computer science - large number of men enrollees
- vocational training
 Some students attend these schools in addition to attending university.
 Others go to quality for technical licenses or professional certification.
 The prestige of special training schools is lower than that of universities
but graduates, particularly in technical areas, are readily absorbed by the
job market.
 Universities
College of Technology
 Most of these schools are national institutions established to
train highly technicians in five year programs in a number of
fields, including the merchant marine.
 About 10% of college graduates transfer to universities as
third year students.
 These colleges are unique in that they accept students after 3
years of secondary school (grade 9 in the North American
system or 10 in the British system).
 Universities
College of Technology
 The five year programs includes a general education at the
beginning and then becomes highly specialized.
 The Japanese Ministry of Education, cultures, sports, science
and technology indicated that the Colleges of Technology are
leaders in the use of internships, with more than 90% of
institutions offering this opportunity compared to 46% of
universities and 24% of junior colleges.
ArigatŌ
Gozaimasu
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