Japan as a Prototype of the 'Degreeocracy' Society?

Abstract

In analysing the issues of education in Japan we come across a very specific term: ' gakureki-shakai ' or 'degreeocracy' (educational credentialism). Presumably it is assumed that, compared with Japan, in no other industrial nation is career to such a degree determined by academic background. Japanese parents urge their children to climb as high up the educational pyramid as possible; they will never obtain a satisfactory occupational position without graduating from prestigious higher institutions. In a degreeocracy there is an assumption which implies that opportunities for education are in general open to all members of society regardless of their social origin and that the individuals are competing on an equal basis to achieve higher levels of education. Most Japanese, therefore, generally believe that their education system is based on a meritocratic principle. This paper re-examines such popular conceptions of degreeocracy in Japan and throws light on the social class inequality of educational opportunity issues.