Japan

JAPAN : Civil Socie ty Sp ot ligh t Rep ort on SDG 4 f or HLPF 2021

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Students joining the campaign for SDG 4 at an upper secondary
school and showing their messages to the MPs

Civil Society Spotlight Report on					SDG 4 for HLPF 2021
COUNTRY
FACTS ANDFIGURESCOUNTRY AND EDUCATION CONTEXT

Population:

126.17 million in 2019
(Statistics Bureau of Japan,
2020)

2020 Global Index Score:

79.85/100 (SDR 2021)

2020 Global Index Rank:

18/165 (SDR 2021)

SDG 4 Dashboard:l

SDG 4 Trend:é

SDG 10 Dashboard:l2019 HDI Value/Rank:

0.919, 19 out of 189(HDRO, 2020)

GINI Index:

0 .3721 (Ministry of
Health, Welfare and Labor,
2019)

GNI per capita (PPP$):

42,932 (HDRO, 2020)

Income Group:

High-Income Status (WB,
2020)

Education Expenditure:

3.2% of GDP, 8.4% of thetotal budget (2017)

SDG achieved (SDR
2021)
On track ormaintaining SDG
achievement (SDR 2021)
Significant
challenges remain (SDR
2021)

REFERENCES:
Human Development Report Office (HRDO). (2020). Latest
Human Development Index Ranking. Retrieved June 25,
2021, from http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/latest-humandevelopment-index-ranking
Sachs et al. (2021): The Decade of Action for the Sustainable
Development Goals. Sustainable Development Report 2021.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Sustainable Development Report: Rankings. (2021). Retrieved
June 25, 2021, from https://dashboards.sdgindex.org/
rankings
Statistics Bureau of Japan. (2020). Statistical Handbook of Japan
2020. Retrieved June 25, 2021, from https://www.stat.go.jp/
english/data/handbook/pdf/2020all.pdf#page=23
World Bank Country and Lending Groups. (2020, June). Retrieved
June 25, 2021, from https://datahelpdesk.worldbank.org/
knowledgebase/articles/906519.

Japan has the world’s third-largest economy and based on the government’s Statistical
Handbook for 2020, its total population in 2019 was 126.17 million and is ranked 11th
among countries or areas with a population of 10 million or more. It is an island country
situated off the eastern seaboard of the Eurasian continent in the northern hemisphereand is particularly prone to various geological phenomena.
The devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused nationwide school
closures in Japan that began on 2 March 2020. In response to this educational crisis, thegovernment, with the aid of a supplemental budget, provided computers to all students
at the primary and lower secondary levels to promote distance learning. Although most
schools reopened and became almost fully operational by the end of June 2020, notable
impacts on the educational system were observed, including delays in lesson delivery,
challenges in adapting to online learning platforms, which became an additional burden
for the educators. They also have to maintain daily monitoring of children’s temperature,sanitise classroom furniture and equipment, manage physical distancing, andaccomplish other tasks as mandated by the health and safety protocols in the country.
The number of teachers in Japan is considered as one of the lowest among theOrganisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries;
therefore, the government must significantly increase the number of teachers byaugmenting its education budget.

Foreign children, migrants, and illiterate adults (SDG Targets 4.1 and 4.6)
One in every six (constituting 16%) primary and lower secondary level children cannot
go to school, and only 40-60 per cent among children with foreign roots attend upper
secondary school whereas net enrolment of upper secondary education for this age groupis 99 per cent in 2017.1 While school fees for upper secondary education are free of charge,
this measure is not applied to Korean schools in Japan, a practice by the governmentthat could be considered a form of ethnic discrimination. Furthermore, migrant workers
in Japan struggle to read and write using the Japanese language. Only 34 public evening
schools offering lower secondary education have been established in 10 out of 46
prefectures of Japan.2 These existing realities demonstrate the gaps in improving bothyouth and adult literacy and providing quality education to all migrants in Japan.
The last survey on Japan’s literacy rate was conducted in 1948 and has not been updated
ever since, hence, the lack of data. However, a media report reflects that there is asignificant number of youth and adult illiterates in Japan, not only among migrants but
also among the Japanese.
1
2

From https://www.mext.go.jp/content/1421568_001.pdf
From https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/shotou/yakan/index.htm

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J A PA N : Ci vi l S oci e ty S po tl i ght Repo r t o n S DG 4 f o r HLPF 2021

Students joining the campaign at upper secondary school

The Ministry of Education conducted the Programme for theInternational Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIACC),
initiated by the OECD in 2011-2012, which includes reading
skills. Unfortunately, the illiterates and those with intellectual
disabilities were regarded as ‘missing value’, which leaves thembehind.

Education financing (SDG Targets 4.1, 4.2, and 4.5)
Japan’s public education spending ratio compared to the GDP in2017 was at 3.18 per cent (lower than the OECD average that was
3.5% of GDP in 2017), and 8.4 per cent of the total government
expenditure, compared to 10.8 per cent on average across OECD
countries, thus imposing on households to pay for education.
This further aggravates the already existing disparities in
education between the rich and the poor in the country. The low
education budget is the main reason for the high student-toteacher ratio- 32 students per teacher at lower secondary levels,
compared to 23 students on average across OECD countries.
Japanese teachers work 1,883 hours a year, 200 hours morethan the OECD average. Between 2005 and 2019, primary andsecondary teachers’ statutory salaries in Japan fell by 8 per centbecause of the insufficient budget for education, while theseincreased by 5-7 per cent on average across OECD countries.

Quality of education (SDG Targets 4.1 and 4.a)The overall quality of education is driven by various factors
including the school environment, educational approach andmethodologies, pervasive incidence of bullying in schools,
distress experienced at home, and other reasons that impact
students’ motivation to learn and continue education.

The number of students who refused to go to school was at
231,000 in 2019, which is the highest recorded ever.3 The reasonsfor children’s refusal to go to school vary from child to childbut they may be caused by any or combination of the following:a dislike of the school atmosphere and rules; unpleasantrelationship with one’s friends or schoolmates, including
bullying; distressing experience with teachers; being frustrated
with studying for exams and with the teacher-centred and rotelearning teaching approach; juvenile delinquency; dependency
on one’s parents; and overall anxiety about the future.
There have also been reports on corporal punishments, sexual
harassment, and violence against girls committed by teachers.
It is troubling to note that 282 teachers have been punished or
terminated due to cases of sexual harassment or violence in 2018.
Although a milestone has been reached with the passing of an Act
that prohibits the re-issuance of the teaching license to former
teachers who have been terminated due to sexual violence andharassment, considering the profound physical and psychologicaldamages inflicted to the victims, stronger measures should betaken to stop violence against girls in schools.
The number of bullying cases in schools accounted for 610,000
cases in 2019. The increasing number of cases of bullying andchildren’s refusal to go to school impact the quality of school
education in Japan, which is deeply problematic. Students seem
tired and disinterested due to the use of a teacher-centred andknowledge transfer-oriented approach through rote learning,stemming from the high pressure to pass entrance exams to get
admitted to better secondary schools and universities.
3

From https://www.mext.go.jp/content/20201015-mext_jidou02-100002753_01.pdf

JAPAN : Civil Socie ty Sp ot ligh t Rep ort on SDG 4 f or HLPF 2021

Children’s participation in decision-making processesof education and school policy (SDG Target 4.1)
Some schools’ efforts to improve school rules and regulations
after consultation with students are commendable. However,children’s participation in school governance is yet to beinstitutionalised. The School Management Consultation
Committee only consists of teachers and representativesof parents and the community, excluding students. At themunicipality level, opportunities for children to express theirviews on education policy and governance are very limited.
At the central level, there is no student representation in any
consultation committees on the formulation of education policy.
The lack of participation in the decision-making process inschool governance is considered to be one of the reasons for not
being able to address the continuing increase of cases of bullying
in schools and children’s refusal to go to school.

Students with disabilities (SDG Target 4.5)
Although Japan ratified the United Nations Convention on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) in 2014, barriers toaccess to education of students with disabilities remain, thereby
leaving them to go to special education schools. These include
large class sizes, insufficient barrier-free school environments,
and a lack of trained teachers and support systems to cater to theneeds of students with disabilities.

Gender disparity (SDG Targets 4.5 and 4.6)
Gender disparities persist in the country. Boys’ enrolment touniversity is at 56.3 per cent whereas, girls’ enrolment is at 50.1
per cent.4 In addition, a majority (62%) of girls have experienced
or witnessed sexual harassment and discrimination in their daily
life.5

Disaggregated data collection (SDG Target 4.5)
The current Japanese data collection system for SDG 4.5 only
includes a gender dimension focused on gender disparity.
Current data on adults’ participation rate in learning
4
5

From https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/toukei/chousa01/kihon/kekka/k_detail/1407849.htm
From https://www.girlscout.or.jp/activities/project/research/pdf/gsj_
genderrep2019_200220.pdf

opportunities should be disaggregated by disability, ethnicity,and immigrant status, among others, to help ensure that noadult is left behind in realising the right to education.

Education for Sustainable Development in non-formal
education and for adults (SDG Target 4.7)
The inclusion of Education for Sustainable Development(ESD) in the country’s school curriculum from primary to
upper secondary education is admirable. However, adult andcommunity education was neglected. An additional issue is thatthe indicators to capture the progress of SDG Target 4.7 havenot been set yet, leading to failure in data collection. The MoE
should set up indicators and data collection methods throughconsultations with civil society organisations (CSOs).

INTERNATIONAL ISSUES
Aid volume to basic education (SDG Targets 4.1, 4.2, 4.5,
and 4.6)
Japan’s aid for basic education amounted to US$190 million,
which accounts for only 1.4 per cent of Japanese total ODA
disbursement in 2018, whereas the average percentage of OECD/
DAC member states was 3.4 per cent. This is due to the following
reasons: First, Japanese aid prioritises economic infrastructure
for which 39.9 per cent of Japanese aid is spent, while only
8.5 per cent in the Development Assistance Committee (DAC)
average. Second, Japanese education aid prioritises higher
education, including scholarships to study at universities inJapan, for which 52 per cent of Japan’s aid to education is spent.6

Contribution to GPE and ECW (SDG Targets 4.1, 4.2, 4.5,
and 4.6)
The COVID-19 pandemic has made it difficult for Japan toformulate and implement bilateral aid that involves travels ofJapanese experts and consultants and the invitation of foreign
trainees to the country. To contribute to SDG Target 4.1 in lightof the pandemic, Japan should contribute more to multilateralorganisations, such as the Global Partnership for Education
6

OECD CRS system, From https://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=CRS1

ROLE OF KOMINKAN IN THE COVID-19 ERA
There are 14,281 Kominkan or Community Learning Centres(CLCs) throughout Japan that provide learning opportunities
for youth, adults, and senior citizens based on their learningneeds. While the Kominkan is commendable for its efforts
in responding to various learning needs, the learning
programme consists of 38 per cent on hobby and culture, 17
per cent on home economics, such as cooking and tailoring,and only 7 per cent on citizenship education.
Given Kominkan’s importance in the country’s education
system, the following recommendations need to be consideredby the government:
1.

To respond to the learning needs of migrants as well as
those who are illiterate, considering the limited number

3

2.

3.

4.

of evening classes in lower secondary schools for them.
To provide an equivalency programme to those who
could not finish primary or lower secondary education.
The provision of this programme is common in CLCs inmany Asian countries.
To increase the number of learning programmes on
global citizenship to foster rights and responsibilities
among youth and adults, especially the poor, migrants,
and refugees, and on disaster preparedness andresilience, especially in light of the impact of COVID-19.
The Kominkan staff need capacity building in order toorganise the community and strengthen linkages among
stakeholders to identify and solve challenges and issues
faced by the community.

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J A PA N : Ci vi l S oci e ty S po tl i ght Repo r t o n S DG 4 f o r HLPF 2021

Youth representatives meet the education comittee
member of the ruling party (Komei)(GPE), which supports national education systems driven by
the education ministry in coordination with donors and CSOs
at the country level, and the Education Cannot Wait (ECW),
which supports education in emergencies and in crises. Japan’scurrent contribution to GPE is US$ 7.5 million a year, while nocontribution has been made to ECW.

4.

5.

Key Messages and Recommendations
1.

2.

3.

Align the ‘Inclusive Education System,’ as defined by the
MoE, with the UN CRPD, and improve the laws and policies
in the country to ensure genuine inclusive education for all
learners with disabilities.
Institutionalise students’ participation in school governanceand endeavours by involving them in decision-making
processes and providing slots to upper secondary student
representatives in the consultative committee on education
policy.
Increase the education budget up to the level of the OECDaverage, which allows for an increase in the number oftrained, qualified, and motivated teachers and school
counsellors. This will help reduce the class sizes and workloadof teachers. Increasing resources for education will alsoenable the establishment of support systems that can address

6.

7.
8.

7

cases of bullying and the varying causes of children’s refusal
to go to school.
Integrate comprehensive sexuality education in schools andother education institutions to promote gender equality
among teachers and staff, including building genderresponsive infrastructure to make schools safer for all.
Establish quality and disaggregated data collection systemthrough consultations with CSOs to capture the situation of
marginalised groups, including foreign learners, migrants,
and illiterate adults, and to identify their learning needs.
The Kominkan or the CLCs in Japan should respond to
the learning needs of migrant workers and those whoare illiterate, expand programmes for Global Citizenship
Education (GCED) and ESD, and make efforts to organise thecommunity to respond to current issues and challenges.
Increase the budget and support to non-formal education
institutions and CSOs that promote ESD and GCED.
Substantially increase Japan’s ODA to basic education7 andcontributions to multilateral organisations, such as the GPE
and ECW. •For details on Japan’s aid to education, refer to UNESCO, Global Education Monitoring
Report 2020, p. 410, which can be accessed through this link: https://unesdoc.unesco.
org/ark:/48223/pf0000373718

Japan NGO Network for Education (JNNE)
Asia South Pacific Association for Basic andAdult Education (ASPBAE) is a regional
association of more than 200 organisations
and individuals working towards promoting
quality education for all and transformativeand liberating, lifelong adult education andlearning.
Unit 106 Sterten Place Condominium, 116
Maginhawa Street, Teachers Village East,
Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines
Tel/Fax: 63 2 8441 4594
Email: aspbae@gmail.com
Website: www.aspbae.org

ISBN: 978-621-95859-0-3

c/o Shanti Volunteer Association (SVA)
31, Daikyo-Cho, Shinjuku-ku,
Tokyo-160 0015, Japan
Tel: 03-5360-1245
E-mail: jnne@sva.or.jp
Website: https://jnne.org/
Japan NGO Network for Education (JNNE) isa coalition of 21 Japanese NGOs working for
education development in developing countries.
Its mission is to contribute to achieving SDG
4 through advocacy, campaigning, capacity
building, research and networking. JNNE is amember of the Global Campaign for Education(GCE) and the Asia South Pacific Association for
Basic and Adult Education (ASPBAE).

Development Education Association andResource Centre (DEAR)
2-17-41-3F, Koishikawa Bunkyo-Ku,
Tokyo 112-0002, Japan
Tel: 03-5844-3630
E-mail: enakamura@dear.or.jp
Website: http://www.dear.or.jp/
Development Education Association andResource Centre (DEAR) is a network organisationthat works with members at local and national
levels to raise awareness and lead public
understanding of global and development issues.
Our mission is to build a just and sustainableworld
throughpromoting
Development
Education. Our role is to support learning incommunities and schools by providing teachingmaterials, training facilitators, doing research,
and advocating to the government. DEAR is amember organisation of the Asia South Pacific
Association for Basic and Adult Education(ASPBAE).