Japan

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Japan has been one of the leading countries in both computer graphics production and research. In this report, we provide an overview of computer graphics education in Japan today, and conclude with types of job possibilities for Japanese students in the computer graphics industry.We begin with the Japanese education system in general. The Japanese education system is controlled by the Ministry of Education. Six years of elementary school and three years of junior high school are mandatory education, which allows all children to be equally educated. Three years of high school and above are considered as optional education. However, the majority of children will enter high school, and many will pursue higher education. The Ministry of Education has installed personal computers in most of the public elementary and junior high schools. However, in many cases, teachers lack computer literacy. It is very unusual to find computer graphics education taking place below the high school level, although there are some exceptions. The Japanese education system for higher education can be broken down into three categories: graduate level, four-year undergraduate level and two-year junior college level. In addition, there are specialized schools that offer certificates in specific areas.College exchange programs are not common in Japan. For example, art students in an art school are not able to take computer graphics courses offered at another university. It is also difficult for a student in one department to take courses in another department. The lack of cross-disciplinary education is a problem for computer graphics because the subject requires fundamental understanding in both art and design and computer science.