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Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > JAPAMESE GOVERNMENT POLICIES IN EDUCATION,SCIENCE AND CULTURE 1990 > PART![]() |
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Since the end of World War , universities and other institutions
of higher education have achieved remarkable quantitative development. In the
1990 academic year there were 1,162 universities, junior colleges and colleges
of technology in Japan, and the proportion of the age group advancing to these
institutions reached 36.8%. If students going on to special training schools
(advanced courses) (See 5 of Section 2 of Chapter 2) are added, the total proportion
of the age group going on to post-secondary institutions becomes 53.7%, Higher
education, popularized in this way, has greatly contributed to the economic and
social development of the nation through creating and developing scientific research
activities, which are among the traditional functions of universities. and training
a number of highly qualified professional workers required in various sectors
of society, as well as a great number of highly qualified citizens.
At present, institutions of higher education may be classified into universities (including graduate schools), junior colleges, colleges of technology, and special training schools (advanced courses). Some of them are maintained by the national government, some others by local governments and the others by non-governmental bodies. One of the unique features of higher education in this country, as compared with many other countries, is that the great majority of institutions are private ones.
With a view to helping readers understand the historical background
of higher education in this country, this chapter will outline the historical
development of the higher education system in Japan, broadly dividing its history
into two stages: the period from the Meiji era to World War and the period
after the war.
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