Because We Said So: Educational Reform in Occupied Japan

Because We Said So: Educational Reform in Occupied Japan

The American occupation of Japan(1945-1952) decentralized the authoritative Japanese educational system, establishing local and prefectural school boards. When the occupation forces returned home, however, many of these policies were reversed. This paper proposes that motives to spread a particular democracy and a shallow consideration of historical context inhibited a growth of Japanese education. It also explores how a richer contextual understanding could have influenced four areas of reform: training of education staff; communication between Occupation staff and unionizing Japanese teachers; concentration on ideology over methodology; and the evaluation of the centralized Japanese education system.

The American occupation of Japan(1945-1952) decentralized the authoritative Japanese educational system, establishing local and prefectural school boards. When the occupation forces returned home, however, many of these policies were reversed. This paper proposes that motives to spread a particular democracy and a shallow consideration of historical context inhibited a growth of Japanese education. It also explores how a richer contextual understanding could have influenced four areas of reform: training of education staff; communication between Occupation staff and unionizing Japanese teachers; concentration on ideology over methodology; and the evaluation of the centralized Japanese education system.