This essay is an incorporation of self-reflection on the subject of Japanese studies. I have chosen three topics to reflect on. These topics include Japanese women’s issues, Japanese education issues and the Meiji restoration. It is an intellectual and introspective selection which is meant to exhibit my proper understanding and internalization of Japanese studies.

Japanese Education Issues

            In its general sense, education refers to a form of process through which one aims to gain skills, knowledge and habits (Amano & Poole, 2005). Education has been proven to be a very vital aspect to an individual and the society in general. This is because it serves a number of purposes. The ideology of education is based on the premise that one should acquire skills for moral choice, critical inquiry and make a substantial contribution to the society (MacDonald, 2010).

The Japanese education model was started in 1872 but since it did not encompass all the objectives of the current education system, the American education model was adopted after the world war two (Amano & Poole, 2005). This might be due to the need to adapt to the global standards of education and be able to compete on a global platform. However, the original culture as far as education is concerned still remained. The adoption was accompanied by basing the education system on school education law and law of education.

The Japanese education system has received positive reviews from the advantages it has exhibited ever since its inception. According to the PISA survey, the education system has been able to produce the best students (MacDonald, 2010). These students have shown high performance in various subjects, but majorly focused on mathematics and science. The education has placed a major focus on these subjects that have been considered to be difficult by students from other countries. This counts as a reason why the Japanese students have been able to stand out. I think another reason for this performance is that the most prestigious jobs that the ideal student might be hoping to secure are based on these subjects. Through such, Japann has been able to make major technological advancements as compared to other countries in the world which relatively focus more on arts.

The education system has also received negative criticism based on a number of factors. One of the aspects that give the Japanese education system a bad image is its rigidity (Vogel, 1991). The students are expected to succeed in their education or else they are considered as failures. Success in the sector of education is determined by how well one passes his or her examination, and this has led to an examination oriented culture. The students go through what has been termed as “examination hell” in order to pass a number of very challenging exams. This further creates a ripple effect that causes the students to focus on memorization in order to pass their examination. The practice of memorization leads the students to lack creativity and critical approach to issues (Amano & Poole, 2005). Their potential to tolerate changes in the intellectual environment is also greatly hindered. From my point of view, these negative issues can be dealt with. The government has recently started instilling a culture of creativity, flexibility, diversity, internationalization and individuality in its education system (Amano & Poole, 2005). However, the main issue to address is whether the original perception of education is ever going to change. What I think is, even if the government tries to instil the above approaches, it is going to take a very long time before the education fully adapts to those changes.

Some of the challenges that couples the education system in Japan include school phobia, high pressure and high cost of education (Vogel, 1991). The students develop school phobia due to the culture of bullying. Cases of bullying have been recorded to be very high and can sometimes lead to suicide. The students are also under a lot of pressure to perform excellently in their education because that is the only way one can be assured of success in life. The high cost of education has also locked out the individuals who cannot afford to join prestigious schools despite having qualified. My opinion on this is that, awareness should be created to show the students that education is not the only way that one can succeed in life. There are quite a number of opportunities that individuals can exploit in life and they should not only focus on education but also try to nurture other talents that they might be having. The Japanese education issues have both negative and positive aspects in equal measure. The government should however involve the society in addressing the negative aspects for the long-term good of the country.

Japanese Women’s Position Issues

            This part of the essay mainly focuses on giving a personal reflection on the position issues that women face in Japan. The woman in the Japanese society has been viewed to occupy a position in the society as well as the family. The social position that a woman holds depends on her level of education, employment and the general career path that they opt to follow (Susan, 2000). The woman also occupies a very important position in the family.

The family has been given the concept of being the most central social institution in the human community. In Japan, a woman is expected to serve a number of functions in the family. These functions include teaching the children on how they are expected to behave and to raise them, keeping the welfare of the family as a priority and maintaining order. She also conducts various chores, which include cooking, cleaning and providing the basic amenities that the family may require (Susan, 2000). According to my point of view, however, this is a very ancient way of looking at a woman’s position in the family. Interestingly enough, this is a conventionally accepted even amongst the women in Japan. The family perspective in Japan before the world war two had a number of characteristics as compared to western industrialized countries. The rate for divorce and single mothers has been seen to be relatively low. There is a common concept in Japan in which a woman will not want to divorce for the sake of her children. The tie between a parent and a child is stronger as compared to the tie that exists between couples. The aspect of a relationship is not as much as important as compared to reproduction of family or household itself. Finally, women in Japan prefer supporting their own families than having their own careers as compared to women in other developed countries (Susan, 2000). From my own perspective, this ideology might have originated from Japan’s pre-modern tradition.

The concept of family in Pre-war Japan had a number of characteristics. The position the woman held was to support the husband and had no major authority over the family. The first son was expected to inherit headship and property. After the world war two, men and women have been considered to be equal in the society (Susan, 2000). There are equal inheritance opportunities for both sons and daughters. The parental authority over the children has however weakened and has ceased from being authoritarian. These are some of the aspects that have been accepted by the rest of the world, and Japanese has also adapted to this civilization. The position that a woman holds in the society has, therefore, been looked at as a career, whether it is the position she holds in the society or the position she holds in the family (Susan, 2000).

e as she expected to raise her children and educate them. She also focuses on pleasing her mother-in-law. They are expected not worry much about love and affection form their husbands but to work towards providing for the family. The Japanese woman’s retirement is gradual as her children grow up and finally leave the house (Susan, 2000). According to my opinion, this kind of ideology has made women to be hesitant in looking for education and a career. This is because this tradition only views a successful woman as a person who has brought up a good family rather than having a full-time profession.

Meiji Restoration

The Meiji restoration refers to a political movement that started in Japan in 1868 in order to oppose the ruling of Tokugawa (Hirobumi, 1974). The leaders of the Meiji restoration had the argument that this revolution will restore democracy and abolish the ruling of Knights, which was considered to be aristocratic. The leaders of the Meiji restoration had a number of reasons that emanated from within and outside Japan.

One of the reasons was based on the opinion that Tokugawa was abusing is administrative powers. In order to make sure this abuse of power was brought to an end, the leaders of the Meiji restoration focused on converting the Taikun administration into an emperor kingdom (Hirobumi, 1974). The Western imperialists were also exerting quite a lot of pressure on Japan both politically and economically. There were gross intrusions on the customs of Japan, and the Meiji restoration wanted to restore sovereignty in Japan and steer away from the manipulation of the west (Jansen, 1970). They worked towards modernization with which they believed will save Japan from the centralized administration.

Another major reason for the Meiji restoration was to avoid being bullied by the West as they had witnessed China being bullied by the Britons (Hirobumi, 1974). The country was also becoming weak politically due to the unequal treaties that existed in the society. The national rights were also violated since the westerners were allowed by Tokugawa to apply their own laws. These factors, coupled by a strong desire to bring modernization to Japan gave rise to the Meiji restoration.

The leaders of the movement wanted to bring equality and unity amongst all the classes of people in Japan. Their main objective was to create a society that enjoyed its freedoms and rights. The citizens would be allowed to have leaders of their own choice. They also wanted to ensure that Japan has a strong education and military system. This was meant to ensure that the country will be safe from any western intrusion (Jansen, 1970).

However, according to my own opinion, the Meiji restoration did not create a democratic Japan as they claimed to have aspired. Democracy is characterized by a number of factors. Some of these factors include the free will of people and a comprehensive constitution in which the citizens understand their rights and duties. These factors were not fully incorporated in the Meiji administration. It did not fully create a democratic environment. One of the most important aspects of this argument is that the administration did not at any given time give the people of Japan a chance to elect their own leader (Hirobumi, 1974). In my opinion, the motives of Meiji restoration leaned more towards bringing aristocracy to an end than bringing democracy to Japan. The leaders assigned themselves positions without seeking the opinion of the people. The monopoly of power still remained the same as the previous administration. The Meiji restoration did not democratize Japan but rather it just modernized it.

References

Amano, I., & Poole, G. S. (2005). The Japanese university in crisis. Higher Education, 50(4), 685-711.

Hirobumi, I. (1974). Commentaries on Constitutional Provisions Relating to Emperors       Position, 1889. Lu, D.J (ed.). SOURCES OF JAPANESE HISTORY , 1-3.

Jansen, M. B. (1970). The Meiji State, 1868-1912. In James B. Crowley. (ed). Modern       East Asia: Essays in Interpretation, Harcourt Brace & Company

MacDonald, L. (2010). Curriculum Reform in Japan; Reflections of Cultural Change via the Integrated Curriculum. Retrieved on 6^th June, 2014 from http://www.p.u-tokyo.ac.jp/coe/workingpaper/Vol.18.pdf

Susan H.V. (2000). Professional Houswife: The Career of Urban Middle Class Japanese    Women. The Japanese Interpretor, 7(3), 17-43.

Vogel, E. F., & Hall, V. S. (1991). Japan’s new middle class: The salary man and his family          in a Tokyo suburb. Berkeley, Calif: the University of California Press.

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