What Causes Examination Wars in Japan ?
Delayed Educational Democratization and Deregulation

Examination wars have proliferated and cram schools (Gakushu-juku) prosper in Japan. Why is this? The cause is very simple. Market principles do not operate with respect to the suppliers of education. In other words, the Ministry of Education has a monopoly in deciding the content of the curriculum, which leads to the concentrated competition.

Let me explain a little more. We now live with a variety of values and information in our highly industrialized ,information-oriented, capitalist society. However, none of our values nor information are permanent. There simply is no absolute scenario outlining how to obtain the information required for success.

Stock markets, for example, typify this reality. There simply is no stock that will ensure one a profit. If there were such a stock, everybody in the market would rush out to buy it. However, there are no such occurrences in stock markets because there are numerous uncertain factors in our society. Investors buy stocks on their own responsibility, which disperses competition.

The Japanese education system is a far cry from the stock market. Although Japan is a capitalist and liberal country, the government nevertheless has erected a monopoly in deciding the content of education by "the courses of study "(Gakusghu-sido-yoryo) [note 1] and "the official school books" (Kyokasho-kentei-seido)[Note 2]. In fact, the Ministry of Education certifies specific educational content and curricula. Therefore, it is only natural that students and parents alike rush at such certified information, and that concentrated competition occurs. This is the mechanism behind examination wars in Japan.

Therefore, eliminating the competition is a very simple matter. The solution lies in having the Ministry of Education stop monopolizing the educational curricula for elementary, junior high, and high schools. The power to decide curricula and content should be transferred from the Ministry to private schools and local governments to enhence democratization of education. In such an environment, schools and local governments can pursuit for better education on their own initiatives. This will provide a variety of educational values reducing competition among students, and lessening the centralized competition of the past.

This reform will also solve the problem of the excessive number of cram schools (Gakushu-juku). Those institutions merely cram students with knowledge which is designated by the Ministry of Education. If the Ministry no longer determines educational content, cram schools will lose their reason for existence.

Japanese people have believed for years that examination war is a phenomenon specific to the Japanese nationality and culture. However, it is incorrect. Examination wars occur in any country where government determines educational content, such as China, Korea and so forth.

Examination wars are common phenomena especially in developing countries, including Asian countries, all of which have established educational system following Japanese model after World War II. [note 3]. But in some of those countries, examination wars have not as yet been recognized as social problems that it is in Japan. This means that when the examination war becomes a social problem there, the above theory in Japan can be applied.

[note 1] A few officials in the Ministry of Education alone decide on the educational content for each grade under the 6-3-3-year system. Even private schools have to follow those.

[note 2] The Ministry call it "a screening system".But it is almost the same as censorship system, because getting approval for a school book is very difficult in Japan. For example, only several school books are approved for each subject in each grade. In addition, large school book publishers have monopolized this market.It is often seen that only one or two school books account for 70-80%, or even 100%, of the texts on a particular subject.

[note 3] Even in the West, there is a country like France, where government is closely involved in the decisions regarding educational content. The competitive situation in France is well known.