Japanese EducationJapan is a country that takes education very seriously. This can be understood by the remarkable achievements that have been made. Japan's education system played a major role in enabling the country to meet the challenges posed by the need to quickly understand Western ideas, science, and technology during the Meiji period. It was also a key factor in Japan's rapid recovery and growth in the years following World War II. We cannot assume that education is the only thing that has shaped the country, but can we say that it has had a major influence on prosperity and well-being. Despite what may have happened before, it is clear that education reform was necessary to restore Japan's prosperity in the years to come. History of Education in Japan Education has always existed in one form or another. The first education system dates from the Tokugawa period, which placed a high sense of learning. They learned kindness, justice, courtesy and individual integrity. These were the most stressed thought systems. Men also had to learn education and methods of warfare. The founder of this method was Tokugawa Ieyasu, he issued a law saying “Arts of Peace” (10) which meant learning and also learning the arts of war. He believes that both are of equal importance and must be mastered by everyone. After this system was implemented in the 1860s, much of the program was present in more than 300 schools across Japan. This quickly changed in 1868, when one of the best students of Tokugawa education suggested that Japan could compare itself to other "developed nations"(11) of that era. After this suggestion, Japan accepted many of the Western ideas. They wanted to modernize their country and by doing so...... middle of paper ......dation, 1982.Beauchamp, Edward R. AEducation and Schooling in Japan since 1945.@ New York & London.Garland Publishing, Inc, 1998. Walberg, Herbert J. and Leestma, Robert. AJapanese Educational Productivity.@ University of Michigan, 1983. Japanese educational system. December 5, 2003. November 5, 2003. The Japanese education system. September 30, 2003. November 5, 2003. Access to Japan. December 1, 2003. November 5, 2003. Japanese Education and Literacy. August 1, 2003. November 5, 2003. Role of education in economic development in Japan. September 23, 2003. November 5 2003.>