School Calendar:
For most elementary, junior high, and high schools, the school year in Japan begins on April 1 and is divided into three terms: April to July, September to December, and January to March, some schools follow a two-term schedule. Schools are gradually moving to a five-day week but as of 1998 children still attended school on Saturday mornings two or three times a month. On average, Japanese students spend considerably more time studying than students in most other advanced industrial nations. This may be attributable to the shorter summer vacation and heavier homework load at Japanese schools. Plus the large amount of time many students spend at extracurricular activities.

Pre-school education:
Education prior to elementary school is provided at kindergartens (yochien) and day-care centres (hoikuen). Public and private day-care centers accept children from under age one up to age five; their programs for children age three to five resemble those at kindergartens.

Elementary schools:
Attendance for the six yeas of elementary education is compulsory. Ninety-nine percent of elementary schools were public co-educational institutions in 1996.

Junior high schools:
Attendance for the three years of junior high school education is compulsory. Ninety-four percent of junior high schools were public co-educational institutions in 1996.

High schools:
High school attendance is optional. In 1996, public high schools, most of which are operated by prefectural boards of education, represented 76 percent of the total, and 96 percent of junior high school graduates entered high school. High school entrance is based on exam performance and the competition is intense for favoured schools.

Universities:
In 1996, 46 percent of all high school graduates went on to attend a two-year junior college or four-year university. The great majority of junior college students are women. Seventy-four percent of all universities and 84 percent of all junior colleges are private