125: 80 Years Later, Japan’s Big Problem (4)

【College Admissions】
Inclusive education places great emphasis on independent thinking grounded in factual/evidence-based reasoning, as well as putting it into action. Learning in an inclusive, human rights-based environment is key to moving beyond a conservative mindset and toward a liberal mindset.
 
With that in mind, let’s take a look at Japan’s education system.
 
In simple terms, Japan’s education system is designed so that people learn as the government wishes to teach. [See #25]
 
This system is highly effective in cultivating memory-based skills. Its roots trace back to the memory-heavy Kanji writing system introduced from China about 2,000 years ago, and to the teachings of Confucius from 2,500 years ago. His teachings largely focus on the respect for parents/elders, which was widely accepted across Asia and still deeply embedded in many of its cultures today.
 
Confucianism promotes the idea of “living one’s life by following the wise leader.” Within this framework, citizens are expected to obey rather than to think independently. A memorization-heavy education fit neatly into this worldview: memorize what’s taught by the “wise leaders,” not question them.
 
During Japan’s post-war reconstruction and subsequent era of rapid economic growth, this education system worked remarkably well. To mass-produce quality goods at low cost, society needed large numbers of workers who would diligently follow instructions passed down from “wise” politicians and corporate executives.
 
More than half a century later, what’s unfortunate is that despite profound changes in the modern world, Japan’s education system hasn’t evolved accordingly. In many ways, it clings to “traditional values” simply because it wants to preserve the tradition regardless of good or bad.
 
This is why students who attend cram schools late into the night and excel at rote memorization are often praised “smart” or “knowledgeable” because college applications are largely decided by memorization-heavy admission exams. Meanwhile, most other activities are deemed “irrelevant to college admissions” and pushed aside. As a result, students miss valuable opportunities to develop a wide range of intellectual, emotional, social, and creative skills that come from broader engagement.
 
Consequently, the system often fails to cultivate individuals who can think independently and act based on fact/evidence.
 
This stands in stark contrast to the holistic education widely embraced in urban America.
 
Unlike Japan’s centralized model, the US education system grants schools/teachers considerable freedom to design their own curriculum.
 
Because of this, even within the country, there’s a clear divide between holistic education in urban America and the education often accepted in rural America.
 
Holistic education values not only grades and standardized test scores, but also broader engagement including extracurricular activities, clubs, volunteer work, internships, and even entrepreneurship. These are not superficial add-ons; meaningful, real-world experiences significantly strengthen a student’s college application.
 
And when holistic learning takes place in an environment that embraces diversity--gender, race, ethnicity, origin, family background--it becomes what we call inclusive education.
 
Most American universities strive to welcome students from a wide variety of backgrounds across the world precisely because they value this inclusivity.
 
Yet, some may argue, “But isn’t it unfair for colleges to reject someone with high grades or test scores while others with lower grades/scores get accepted?” This is a common view among those who maintain that memorization-heavy admission exams are the fairest system.
 
However, holistic education recognizes that grades and test scores alone cannot fully measure a student’s progress.
 
Consider this example:
A student growing up in a financially strained household may have parents working long hours just to make ends meet. That student might have to work part-time to help support the family or spend hours caring for younger siblings. They likely have neither the time nor the money to attend cram schools or hire tutors.
 
In contrast, students from affluent families have their daily needs taken care of; they have both the time/resources for top-tier cram schools and private tutors to improve their grades/scores.
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Inclusive education understands that our society’s structural factors tend to drive down the grades and test scores of students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. For this reason, instead of applying uniform criteria, holistic admissions aim to take into account each student’s circumstances, individuality, and character as fully as possible.

[Author: Unknown]
 

Given the stark difference in college admissions between Japan and urban America, it’s no surprise that what/how students are taught in elementary, middle, and high school also diverges significantly. What’s more, teachers themselves are shaped by these systems and differ in their training, teaching methods, and overall mindset.
 
The more an education system values inclusivity, the more intentionally it cultivates a broad range of intellectual, emotional, social, and creative abilities.
 
As a result, even before starting college, students tend to already display different levels of human rights awareness, openness to diversity, social engagement, and independent thinking grounded in factual/evidence-based reasoning, as well as putting it into action.
 
These differences create the foundation for moving beyond a conservative mindset and toward a liberal mindset.
 
This perhaps is the biggest reason why Tokyo remains strikingly conservative while urban America is overwhelmingly liberal.
 
In the next post, we’ll explore this further by looking at actual data.
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