This study examined the policies and development concerning women’s education in occupied Japan (1945–1952), particularly Shimane Prefecture. The Ministry of Education had developed a plan to cultivate voluntary women’s groups. However, because the plan made it possible to use existing groups, it was withdrawn by the Civil Information and Education Section (CIE). CIE insisted that women’s groups should be composed entirely of volunteers. Based on the policies of the Ministry of Education and CIE, Shimane Prefecture encouraged the formation of voluntary women’s groups. However, in fact, it did so by using existing women’s associations to promote women’s education. The reasons for the responses were the connection between the Ministry of Education and Shimane Prefecture, the feudal character of rural society, and the existence of the Chugoku Civil Affairs Region. As women’s education developed in Shimane Prefecture, women gradually began acting with voluntary consciousness.
