Japan’s education system, overseen by MEXT, mandates nine years of schooling and has roots stretching back to Buddhist and Confucian court education, samurai academies, and Edo-period temple schools. Rapid Western-inspired reforms after the Meiji Restoration, and American-style restructuring after World War II, produced today’s 6-3-3-4 system. Japanese students perform strongly in international tests while the country spends below the OECD average share of GDP on education but heavily per student. The system features intense entrance examinations, widespread cram schools, strong higher-education participation, expanding special needs provisions, and mounting criticism over stress, bullying, textbook controversies, and a rigid exam culture.