JAPAN'S APPROACH TO CONTINUING EDUCATION FOR SENIOR CITIZENS

Abstract

In the mid‐1960s the government of Japan committed itself to the establishment of a continuing education system for senior citizens; however, little real action was taken until the early 1970s. By the end of the 1970s most local governments had managed to open a number of senior citizens’ classes at Community Educational Centers (Kominkans). Since then a system of publicly financed continuing education, implemented through the local kominkans, has emerged. The locally administered Senior Citizens’ Continuing Education Program is the key component of this system of lifelong learning. Most kominkans offer morning or afternoon classes in health, traditional arts, popular hobbies, sports, and light exercise. These classes have generally been well attended, but newer courses focusing on community activism, opportunities for volunteer work, group leadership, and self‐expression are not yet well established. At the local level female students outnumber males by a 2:1 ratio. In the late 1980s, under the guidance of the Ministry of Education, prefectural governments began opening Advanced Studies Centers. These centers offer academically demanding courses to qualified senior citizens, on the assumption that elderly Japanese who study at these centers will assume leadership roles in their local communities. This paper outlines the background, establishment, and difficulties of these programs.