Special Education Outside the USA: Japan

Though special education in Japan is not as advanced or progressive as it is in America, the

research I conducted and article I found suggested that the country is working towards a more
inclusive education system.

Defining Special Education

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT) (who are one of
the eleven Ministries of Japan that make up part of the executive branch of the Government),
defines special education as “‘education for students with disabilities, in consideration of their
individual educational needs, which aims at full development of their capabilities and at their
independence and social participation.’” With this definition in mind, Japan seems to have a
heavy focus and educational emphasis on including individuals with disabilities in their society.
“Special Education” vs. “Special Needs Education”
One thing I found interesting is the shift Japan made from their special education framework to
what they now call “special needs education” framework. The article discusses how special
education in Japan formerly focused on meeting the needs of those in specialized schools or
classrooms, instead of meeting the needs for students with disabilities in every school and
classroom. Special needs education is now the framework in place, and is what is encouraged to
be used in every school in which students with disabilities attend.

Instructional Settings
Students with disabilities receive instruction in various environments depending on their
disability; more specifically, students may receive instruction in a separate school (“special needs
school”) as discussed above, a separate classroom (“special needs classroom”), a tsukyu
classroom, or a general education (“regular”) classroom. A tsukyu classroom is a classroom
inside of a general education school, where students with mild disabilities go to visit for several
hours a week to receive specialized instruction in one-on-one or small group settings based on
the student’s needs. I found this to be most similar to the pull-out services that we offer here in
America.
The article also notes that the number of students classified as having a disability in Japan is
increasing - and the most concerning thing I read in regards to this was the increasing number of
students attending specialized schools because of their disability. With this in mind, the article
also notes that the numbers attending public school are increasing as well.
Children in schools designated for their disabilities follow a special curriculum and the
environment around them include equipment and tools that help meet their needs. These
specialized schools are also seen as resources for the community and general education schools
around them.

Principles and Policies

Recently, “Japan ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities… An
inclusive education system stipulated in Article 24 of the Convention means persons with and
without disabilities study together with the purposes of strengthening respect for human diversity
and enabling persons with disabilities to develop their mental and physical abilities to participate
in a free society. It is, therefore, necessary that (i) persons with disabilities are not excluded from
the general education system (which includes both regular and special needs schools), that (ii)
persons with disabilities can access primary education and secondary education in the
communities in which they live, and that (iii) reasonable accommodations to meet an individual’s
requirements are provided (MEXT 2017a).” I find this similar to the United States in that Japan
essentially requires Zero Reject and aspects of Free and Appropriate Public Education; though,
from what is provided in the article, it seems that costs for things such as transportations and
accommodations are not fully supported, and usually falls to financial support programs/systems
and/or parents/guardians.

Conclusion
Overall, I think Japan is moving quickly to provide a more inclusive environment for students
with disabilities, but still have a lot of work to do; especially considering the lack of person first
language I saw throughout the article and the heavy reliance on specialized/segregated schools.
The idea of a separate school makes it seem like Japan is only seeing their students for their
disability, and not who they are as people or the assets they bring to a general education
classroom.