Japan: Technical and Vocational

Technical and Vocational

Overview

Information on key aspects of a country’s education system, including governance, instructional language, and other structural features defined by national or regional regulations.

Ministry Responsible

Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)

Language of Instruction

Japanese

Duration

3 years

Qualifications, Curriculum, Grading

Not all awards or study patterns are included.

No.	Qualification Name	Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate (vocational track)	Upper Secondary Course Specialized Training College Graduation Certificate
1	Awarding Body	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)	Specialized Training Colleges (Senshu-Gakko) Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
2	Admission Requirements	Lower Secondary School Graduation Certificate	Lower Secondary School Graduation Certificate
3	Length of Program	3 years	3 years
4	Streams	Agriculture Business and commerce Home economics and consumer services Engineering and technology Information technology Nursing Marine science and fisheries Social welfare	Agriculture Business and commerce Culture and general education Education Fashion and home economics Medical care and welfare Personal care and nutrition Technology and engineering
5	Graduation Requirements	Japanese language Mathematics English language History and geography Civics Science Health and physical education Music, fine art, crafts, or calligraphy Home economics Information technology Vocational training	Japanese language Mathematics English language Social studies Science Health and physical education Practical training or internship
6	Post-graduation Pathways	Access to: universities (daigaku) junior colleges (tanki daigaku) professional universities (eimo daigaku) post-secondary vocational schools (senmon gakko) employment	Access to: post-secondary vocational schools (senmon gakko) universities (daigaku) national licensing examinations employment

Institutions

Types and number of officially recognized institutions providing secondary education.

No.	Institution Type	Number of Institutions	Qualifications Offered	Ministry Reponsible
1	Upper secondary schools (Kôtô-gakkô)	4,824 (2002)	Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
2	Secondary schools (Chûtô-kyôiku-gakkô)	57 (2002)	Upper Secondary School Leaving Certificate Integrated Secondary School Completion Certificate	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)
3	Upper Secondary Specialized Training Colleges (Koto-senshu-gakko)		Upper Secondary Course Specialized Training College Graduation Certificate	Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)