قصة الكتاب :
Keisō Shobō, 2009. 186 pp. ¥2,400. ISBN 978-4-326-50316-2.
Tachibanaki Toshiaki
Born in 1943. A specialist in labor economics. Works include Kakusa shakai [Income-Gap
Society], Jojo kakusa [The Gap Between Women], and Nihon no kyōiku kakusa [Japan’s
Educational Divide].
Matsuura Tsukasa
Born in 1977. An associate professor at the Faculty of Economics of Chūō University, where
he specializes in applied economics.

This book is not about the educational system per se. Rather, it looks at things like
selecting schools and choosing between arts or sciences from an alternative perspective.
The idea of interpreting problems in Japanese education—such as overemphasis
on memorized facts, fierce competition for entrance into schools and
colleges, and emphasis on academic background—from the angle of their economic
effects is of great interest.
From the country’s point of view, education is a means for shaping society and
ensuring the succession of culture, whereas from the point of view of the individual,
it is often an economic activity with clear objectives. The increasing number
of Japanese students moving away from science has recently become a topical
issue, with the underlying reasons considered to be related to the school system
and teaching methods. This book carries out a statistical analysis and shows that
compared to people with a humanities background, those with a science and
technology background are at a clear disadvantage in terms of both income and
position. It also takes a fresh look at one aspect of contemporary Japanese society
by looking at such areas as the relationship between academic background and
parents’ income, the secrets of the popularity of medical schools, the reasons why
private elementary and junior high schools get preference, and how Waseda and
Keiō came to be prestigious universities.
Knowledge of the state of education is essential to understanding Japanese
culture. However, information on the public education system and school administration
is not enough for true understanding. Areas untouched by the power of
public education, such as the role of cram schools or the awareness of students
and parents, impact enormously upon the awareness and behavior of Japanese
people and upon the state of Japanese society. In that sense, this is an essential
volume for understanding Japan. (CK)