Page 3 - Japanese Growth and Education: 演講人：Motohisa Kaneko教授
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Japan’s Development and Education
- Past, Present and Future -
Motohisa Kaneko
University of Tsukuba, Japan
Abstract
One-hundred and fifty years ago, Japan embarked on a voyage towards
modernization. To catch up with the West it introduced Western institutions,
in unique ways to adopt to the unique needs. It was typically the case with
education. While the initial forms and contents of the school system was taken
after that of the West, they were tailored to the needs of the Japanese society.
The strategy bore substantial achievements, but the legacy pauses considerable
st
challenges when Japan heads for a fresh mode of development in the 21
century. This paper tries to reflect upon the process by tracing from the initial
investment on universal primary education (section 1), to a particular regime that
relate society, economy and education that eventually contributed to acceleration
of economic advancement (Section 2), and to the various contradictions that the
growth-regime had created, and the ways to overcome them to prepare a fresh
mechanism (Section 3).
Modernization and Education
When Japan set out for modernization in the late 19th century, Japan was
