TY - JOUR
T1 - Tackling “Examination Hell” in Japan, 1920 to 1945
T2 - Children’s Well-being, Fair Competition, and the Needs of the State
AU - Cave, Peter
AU - Ishioka, Manabu
PY - 2023/10/6
Y1 - 2023/10/6
N2 - This essay examines attempts between 1920 and 1945 to tackle “examination hell,” the pressures on children that resulted from competition to enter secondary school. Debates centered on harm to children, education, and ultimately the nation. Fair competition between individuals was weighed alongside the needs of the state. From 1939, reforms to secondary entrance procedures manifested radical statism, paralleling extensions of state control in other fields. This wartime movement away from selectivity prepared the ground for postwar reforms, as well as later efforts to combat “examination hell.” Recent erosion of such efforts leaves unresolved questions about individual freedom and state control.
AB - This essay examines attempts between 1920 and 1945 to tackle “examination hell,” the pressures on children that resulted from competition to enter secondary school. Debates centered on harm to children, education, and ultimately the nation. Fair competition between individuals was weighed alongside the needs of the state. From 1939, reforms to secondary entrance procedures manifested radical statism, paralleling extensions of state control in other fields. This wartime movement away from selectivity prepared the ground for postwar reforms, as well as later efforts to combat “examination hell.” Recent erosion of such efforts leaves unresolved questions about individual freedom and state control.
M3 - Article
SN - 0095-6848
JO - Journal of Japanese Studies
JF - Journal of Japanese Studies
ER -