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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Juvenile Delinquency in Japan

In comparison with other countries, there's very little. From time to time, people get concerned that juvenile delinquency is rising in Japan. But relatively speaking, the amount is rather low. It may be that, in general, Japanese parents are closer to their children than in countries with high rates of juvenile delinquency. That's certainly and important factor.

Physical proximity may be a factor. Most Japanese live in close quarters. So they tend to be more aware of who's at home and who isn't. Japanese parents usually know where their children are and what they're doing.

It may be too that Japanese youngsters have less time to get into trouble. There's such a lot of studying to do. Also, Japanese are taught from childhood not to do anything that would bring shame or embarrassment to their families.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Examination Hell in Japan

"Examination hell" is an expression which reflects the extreme pressures on Japanese students and their families. The pressures center around entrance exams that students have to take. Passing the exams requires an enormous amount of study, usually year-round. A student's entire future could depend on doing well on the entrance exams.

There are entrance exams at every level of education these days, even beginning with kindergarten. If you get into a good kindergarten, good elementary school, and that's important.

If you go to a good elementary school, you have a better chance of getting into a good junior high school and then a good high school. Then if you can get into a good university, you have a better chance of getting a good job.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Education in Japan..

Japanese have had compulsory education in Japan for more than a hundred years. All Japanese children are required to go to school for nine years, beginning at age six. There are six years of elementary school, three years of junior high school, and three years of senior high school. Almost ninety-six percent of all those completing junior high go on to high school.

There are about six hundred junior colleges and over five-hundred universities in Japan. About thirty-eight percent of those graduating from high schools go on to junior colleges or universities.

About half of the universities have graduate schools, so there are about two hundred fifty, but the number is increasing. They offer both master's degrees and doctorates. There are approximately a hundred forty thousand graduate students in Japan.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Women's Movement in Japan

It's difficult to answer if there is a women's movement in Japan. The problem is that their starting point is so different from that of western countries, and especially the United States. Many Japanese and some western observers say that Japanese women have more equality than people think. To support this they point out that Japan was once a matriarchal society and that today Japanese women control the household finances.

Women have legally equal rights in Japan. But practically there's still a long way to go. Women have made progress in recent years. They're no longer compelled to retire when they get married or reach their thirties, for example.

For Japan that's progress. It's also a question of expectations. They have some professional women and some who have made it in the so-called "man's world." But most Japanese women still see their goal as getting married and raising a family.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Retirement Age in Japan

In general it's lower in Japan than in other industrialized countries. Until recently, compulsory retirement at age fifty-five was widespread. Now it's been raised to sixty by most Japanese companies. But the concept of compulsory retirement is different in Japan than the West.

In most other countries, retirement means retirement. In Japan it more often means that the person goes right back to work, maybe even for the same company, but in a temporary or part-time capacity. That is because the compulsory retirement age is set too low. Few workers are ready to retire at sixty. Employers know this. But they need to make room for young, new, entry-level employees. So the retirees are given part-time positions.