Due to Japan’s connections with China and Confucianism, which valued education above all else, exams have always held an important place in Japanese culture. Before the West introduced itself to Japan in the 1800’s, Japan’s main source for culture and information arrived from China and the rest of East Asia. As China was a powerful nation, Japan adopted many of its ideas, including its writing system, which to this day is still a part of Japan’s writing system. China also introduced Confucianism to Japan. Confucianism includes many teachings that emphasize education and respect. It influenced all aspects of society, defining the role of a “gentleman” and a “virtuous woman” and even defining the elite. Since the philosopher, Confucius, emphasized the importance of education, elites were soon synonymous with the educated. In China, civil service examinations designed to test one’s knowledge on Confucius teachings were given, and those who passed were offered government positions. The importance of the exams fluctuated and often nepotism took hold, but in Japan, the civil service exams were never as important. A feudal system existed in pre-modern Japan, and as Japan modernized the samurai class took over the elite positions. However, the emphasis of education and competitive exams that emerged in China from Confucianism did take hold.
Today, entrance exams for top universities are extremely difficult because acceptance into these top universities guarantees a job in the future. The system is hierarchical, so if one wishes to become part of a big name company they must go to a prestigious university. The education system is almost a meritocracy.[1] In this way it is similar to China’s civil service exams. The vast amount of knowledge needed to pass the entrance exams and the civil service exams is also similar, as the civil service exams required complete memorization of all Confucian teachings. Despite the fact that the exams test memorization skills, proponents claim that they also test intelligence. They also test a student’s determination and perseverance to succeed.[2] This call for memorization is still used in exams today and influences the teaching style of English language classrooms.
The exams seem to have a lot of merit because they are testing a student’s ability and not taking into account their family background.[3] However, this is not always the case as students who come from well-off families are offered more opportunities. Japanese students often go to cram school, in addition to their regular school days, either after school or on weekends. To pay for these expenses, parents often go to extra lengths to get the necessary funds, working longer hours or even getting a second job.[4]
Japan’s exam-focused education has encouraged an influx of cram schools that in turn foster the importance of exams. When more students began to attend higher education after Japan’s 1960 economic boom, the entrance exams became more competitive. To help students gain an advantage, cram school enrollment began to surge. When students would finish their school day, they would attend cram school, a place that prepares students for entrance exams. They are private institutions that guarantee success on examinations, many reinforcing the memorization that previous exams emphasized. For students who attend public schools, the more individual focused curriculum offered can sometimes help them, and it offers more education and attention as the government tries to change the public education system. As the government introduces new reforms, cram schools, and an exam-focused culture hinders the reforms, discussed in the next section, from taking hold.
[1] Setsuo Otsuka. “Why Do Asians Do Well at School?” Deep South. 2.1 (1996).
[2] Kangmin Zeng. Dragon Gate: Competitive Examinations and their Consequences. New York: Cassell and Continuum, (1999): iv-v.
[3] Lawrence W. Neuman. East Asian Societies. Ann Arbor: Association for Asian Studies, (2014): 59-61.
[4] Charles Lewis. “Spare a thought for junior high students going through exam hell.” The Japan Times. (2010): http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2015/02/15/issues/spare-a-thought-for-the-junior-high-students-going-through-exam-hell/#.VziRxJN9634
