Historical pieces

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Japan Under The Americans

The bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the Americans in 1945 signalled the end of World War II and the beginning of the American Occupation of Japan . From 1945 - 1952 , the United States initiated Post-war reforms . The objective of American occupation was not only to convert Japan 's political , economic , and administrative institutions but also reform the culture that militarism sought to inculcate

The American Occupation of Japan highlighted the cooperation of US and Japanese authorities in the implementation of

various programs of reform

Educational Reforms

The job of initiating changes in the educational system of Japan was gargantuan . At the onset of American Occupation , there were close to 40 ,000 schools , 400 ,000 educators , and 18 million students . The burden of reforming the system was placed on the broad shoulders of Japanese school officials

The idea of reforming the educational system started in the early years of 1943 . In the middle of 1944 , a program entitled Japan : The Education System Under Military Government , proposed by the Postwar Programme Committee of the State Department , aimed to modify the school system in Japan . Over the years , Japanese traditional education was founded on authoritarianism and military rule . It promoted an education based on individual merits . However , this kind of system benefited the state 's interest and not of the people

Among the recommendations proposed by the Committee was that schools should remain open to guarantee the safety of the people . The Committee accepted the fact that the system of education had a crucial role in the maintenance of internal and that utilizing schools would be one way in which the occupation can gain control

In 1944 , the State-War-Navy-Coordinating Committee (SWNCC , headed by Gordon Bowles , who was an expert in Japan , initiated the first set of reforms . The Committee implemented most of the suggestions made by the PostWar Program Committee . Subjects like Japanese history , ethics , and para-military training was scrapped from the curriculum of the schools

All forms of emperor worship was banned in schools , such as the display of Imperial photographs and mass bowing towards the location of the Imperial Palace . The Education Bureau of the Education Ministry was dissolved and teachers ' colleges were reformed as well . The SWNCC pushed for decentralization and promoted equal educational and vocational opportunities for women

The Stoddard Mission of 1946 laid down the United States ' policy for reforming the Japanese education system . This was the second stage of reform . with instructions from Gen . Douglas MacArthur , worked on selecting Japanese educators to collaborate with the US group . The Mission proposed the implementation of the 6-3-3 ladderized system of education . Under this program , the initial nine years will be subsidized by the government . Most of the Commission 's recommendations were initiated in April 1947

The 6-3-3 System

Prior to the war , Japan 's education system provided six years of schooling for boys and girls . Under the proposal of the Stoddard Mission , education was free and compulsory from six to...