Education is an important issue in Japanese society. These are
the three ways that a young Japanese child is educated in Japan:
by attending a public school for a compulsory education, by
attending a private school for a compulsory education, or by
attending a private school that does not adhere to standards set
by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and
Technology (MEXT).
While high school ("upper secondary education") is not
compulsory, more than 90% of the population attends high school.
There are, however, many high schools which are not strictly
academic, including agricultural and technical high schools.
More than 2.5 million students advance to universities and
colleges. In the past, the selection process for advancing to
higher education had been described as "hellish" and "war-like".
But with the number of Japanese children being born declining,
the tide has turned the other way. Now schools are having to
compete amongst themselves to gather students. However, many
children continue to be sent to Juku (cram schools) in addition
to state schools.
