Chapter 25: National Policies and Practices on ICT in Education: Japan

The Japanese education system is centralized. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) is responsible for deciding education policies and for funding, overseeing, and monitoring educational provision. MEXT sets guidelines for the school curriculum, schoolteachers (qualifications, salary, teacher–student ratio, etc.), class size, school buildings (number of classrooms, type of equipment, including computer laboratories), and so on. The Course of Study compiled by MEXT plays the most influential role in determining the curriculum content taught in Japanese schools. MEXT is also responsible for authorizing the textbooks used in schools.

Local governments determine and implement the above policies according to the above-mentioned guidelines. Today, the jurisdiction of the local governments is generally more extensive than it was previously because of decentralization. For example, although local education boards determine the employment of teachers in public schools, both central and local government agencies pay teachers’ salaries.