A Historical Review of Modern Education and State-Society Relations in Japan

: From the Viewpoint of the Social Functions of Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on the social functions of education to outline the historical evolution of the education system in Japan from the establishment of the public school system in the late nineteenth century to its present trends as it developed in association with social policy aimed at alleviating poverty and social exclusion. The idea of social investment proliferated in Europe with the politics of welfare state reorganization from the 1990s. These changes broadly concerned education, such as early childhood education and care, childrearing support, vocational training, and employment support, especially for women and young unemployed or unstable workers. Simultaneously, Japan’s education reforms progressed toward a diverse and flexible school education. One proposal at the beginning of this century even considered the diversification of educational service providers, which might significantly alter the conventional public education system’s assumptions. To understand the significance of the social investment strategy in Japan’s historical context, this paper provides a historical description of the changing relationship of education to the state and society, emphasizing the presentation of issues rather than an examination of detailed facts.