Training
Japan is highly valued education and most
children go to preschool before they reach the age of
six compulsory elementary school at the age of six.
After that, almost all students - over 97 percent -
continue to the three-year high school. The education is
characterized by fierce competition, grading and intense
plugging after the first six school years.
Japan's school year usually starts in April and ends
in March the following year. The academic year is
divided into three semesters. Japanese students do well
in international comparisons.
Virtually all primary and lower secondary schools are
municipal, while private schools account for a few
percent of secondary education (grades 7–9). Of the
colleges, about a quarter are considered private. In
addition to the public schools, where compulsory school
tuition and books are free, there is, especially in the
big cities, a commercial system of private schools, juku.
They offer supplementary private tuition at all levels
for a fee. Private university fees are more than twice
as high as state universities.
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COUNTRYAAH:
Country facts of Japan, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
From high school, about half of the students go on to
college or university studies. Longer it was mainly men
who went on to higher studies, but today the gender
difference has been evened out.
High quality education and research, not least in
technology, economics and medicine, is seen as a reason
for the country's rapid progress. Larger companies
usually recruit their employees directly from the higher
education institutions even before they have received a
severance rating.
Some universities, such as the University of Tokyo,
have higher prestige than others and entrance exams to
the major universities are extremely tough. A place at a
prestigious university is seen as a must for a
successful career. Therefore, through private lessons in
leisure time, many young people hope to increase the
chance of entering the desired education. The system is
debated. Critics believe that school early forces
students, parents and teachers to grade rather than
stimulate young people to personal development and
critical thinking. But once the students have entered
university, the study experience usually becomes much
calmer than in high school.
The number of foreign students in Japan is steadily
increasing but is still low in comparison with countries
such as the USA and France. Of the Japanese studying
abroad, many are applying to the United States.
The high status of qualified education granted has
also resonated in science; several Japanese scientists
have been awarded the Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry
and medicine.
- Topmbadirectory: Offers information about politics, geography, and known people in Japan.

FACTS - EDUCATION
Proportion of children starting primary
school
98.2 percent (2016)
Number of pupils per teacher in primary
school
16 (2016)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of GDP
9.1 percent (2016)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of the state budget
9.1 percent (2016)
2020
May
Excess licenses are canceled for large parts of the
country
May 14
Reduced spread of infection means that the government
decides to lift the state of emergency in most of the
country's regions. But it will remain for the time being
in the major cities of Tokyo and Osaka. An emergency
permit was introduced in early April as a way to limit
the spread of the corona virus, but the restrictions
imposed are less far-reaching than in many other
affected countries. To date, 687 people have died of the
covid-19 disease caused by the virus.
April
Abe plans virus support for all residents
April 17
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces that the
government wants to give citizens of the country 100,000
yen (about SEK 9,000) in support to counteract the
negative effects of the corona crisis in the country.
The economy was entering a recession already before the
corona virus spread in the country and now both tourism
and industry and trade have been hit hard. Recently, the
state of emergency in seven of the country's regions was
extended to the entire country.
An emergency permit is introduced
April 7
The government announces state of emergency after the
country has recently seen an increase in the number of
covid-19 cases. The state of emergency, which is
scheduled to last for a month, means that governors in
seven regions where the coronavirus has become attached
can ask people to stay indoors and ensure that business
is closed. Tokyo is one of the affected regions.
Although Japan has so far had relatively few reported
infections by the new corona virus, about 5,000 cases
and some 80 who have died from the disease, warnings are
raised that the health care system is already having
difficulty managing the situation. The government also
plans to implement a comprehensive package of measures
to stimulate and support the economy. The measures,
which are mainly intended to help companies and prevent
people from losing their jobs, correspond to about one
thousand billion US dollars.
March
Japan Olympics are postponed
24th of March
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announces that the Olympics
that would have been held at the end of July in Tokyo
will be postponed until next year, but by summer 2021.
An agreement has been reached with the International
Olympic Committee (IOC) and Japan. The reason for the
postponement of the Olympics is the ongoing covid-19
pandemic.
February
Schools are closed because of the corona virus
February 27th
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urges the country's schools
to stay closed until the annual spring break at the end
of March. The purpose is to try to prevent the spread of
the new coronavirus covid-19, which first hit the
province of Hubei in China in late 2019 and which has
since spread to several countries. About 200 Japanese
are estimated to have been infected by the virus. An
American cruise ship, Diamond Princess, was quarantined
for two weeks in February after passengers became
infected with the virus. According to experts, several
people on board were affected by the disease, just over
700 were infected, of which five have died. By the
beginning of March, almost all passengers had been
allowed to leave the ship. Some of those who have had
negative tests and were allowed to leave the ship have
subsequently fallen ill. The government has been
criticized for its way of dealing with the spread of
infection.
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