The formation of Japanese women’s adult education after the Second World War: a case study of the learning activities of Chofu City

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article explores the Japanese history of women’s adult social education after the Second World War and presents a case study of the women’s classes held in Chofu City. Under the Allied Occupation following the war, the democratisation of Japan was urgent, and developing women’s adult education was indispensable. The newly established Women’s and Minors’ Bureau and the women’s affairs sections of local governments played, as promoters, a pivotal role in enlightening Japanese women and encouraging them to put their own ideas into action. In Chofu City, the women who completed the women’s courses or classes became the leaders of a variety of voluntary grassroots movements and learned skills related to progressive action, life improvement and creative activities. In the 1980s, there was an international trend towards gender equality in society. At long last, the open classes for women turned into adult education classes including males.