School Education Act

• A custodian (保護者) — the person with parental authority (親権) over a child or, where there is none, the child's guardian as a minor (未成年後見人) — must have the child receive nine years of general education (普通教育), and a child who has not reached school age may not be admitted to an elementary school or a compulsory education school. The custodian must enrol the child in an elementary school, the lower course of a compulsory education school or the elementary school course of a special needs education school from the start of the first school year beginning after the day the child reaches the age of six until the end of the school year in which the child reaches 12, or, if the child has not finished by then, until the end of the school year in which the child finishes, at the latest the one in which the child reaches 15. From the first school year beginning after the child finishes, the custodian must enrol the child in a junior high school, the upper course of a compulsory education school, the lower course of a secondary education school or the junior high school course of a special needs education school until the end of the school year in which the child reaches 15.(Art. 16(1), Art. 17(1), Art. 17(2), Art. 36(1), Art. 49-8(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• Schools may charge tuition (授業料), but not for compulsory education at national or public elementary schools, junior high schools and compulsory education schools, in the lower course of a national or public secondary education school, or in the elementary and junior high school courses of a national or public special needs education school. Municipalities (市町村) must give the necessary assistance to the custodians of school-aged children and students (学齢児童・学齢生徒) found to have difficulty attending school for economic reasons.(Art. 6(1), Art. 18(1), Art. 19(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• Principals and teachers may discipline (懲戒) pupils and students where they find it educationally necessary, under rules the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology sets, but they may not use corporal punishment (体罰).(Art. 11(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• A person may enter a university who has graduated from a high school or secondary education school, has completed 12 years of school education through the regular course (or education equivalent to it through another course), or is recognized under rules the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology sets as having equal or greater academic ability. A university course lasts four years — six for courses in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine and for pharmacy courses aimed mainly at clinical practice, while faculties teaching special professional subjects, and faculties teaching at night, may set more than four — and a junior college (短期大学) lasts two or three years. A college of technology takes those who may enter a high school and lasts five years, or five years and six months for merchant-ship departments.(Art. 90(1), Art. 87(1), Art. 87(2), Art. 108(2), Art. 108(3), Art. 118(1), Art. 57(1), Art. 117(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• An education facility outside Article 1 is a specialized training college (専修学校) if, to train abilities needed for work or daily life or to raise general culture, it gives organized education with a course of a year or more, at least the class hours or credits the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology sets, and 40 or more students at all times — unless another Act provides specially for that education, or the facility serves only foreign nationals living in Japan. A specialized training college with a post-secondary course (専門課程), which builds on high school education, may call itself a professional training college (専門学校). Any other facility outside Article 1 that gives education similar to school education is a miscellaneous school (各種学校), unless another Act provides specially for that education or the facility gives a specialized training college's education.(Art. 124(1), Art. 124(1)(i), Art. 124(1)(ii), Art. 124(1)(iii), Art. 125(3), Art. 126(2), Art. 134(1)) (the provisions it rests on)

• 17 June 2026

  The text on this site

  Act Partially Amending the School Education Act, etc.

  学校教育法等の一部を改正する法律

  Act No. 37 of 2026The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 1 April 2026

  Act Partially Amending the Act on Special Measures concerning Salaries and Other Conditions for Education Personnel of Public Compulsory Education Schools, etc., etc.

  公立の義務教育諸学校等の教育職員の給与等に関する特別措置法等の一部を改正する法律

  Act No. 68 of 2025The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 1 April 2026

  Act Partially Amending the School Education Act

  学校教育法の一部を改正する法律

  Act No. 50 of 2024The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 1 October 2025

  Act Partially Amending the Child Welfare Act, etc.

  児童福祉法等の一部を改正する法律

  Act No. 29 of 2025The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 1 June 2025

  Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.

  刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律

  Act No. 68 of 2022The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 25 April 2025

  Act Partially Amending the Child Welfare Act, etc.

  児童福祉法等の一部を改正する法律

  Act No. 29 of 2025The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 1 April 2023

  Act on Arrangement of Relevant Acts Incidental to Enforcement of the Act for Establishment of the Children and Families Agency

  こども家庭庁設置法の施行に伴う関係法律の整備に関する法律

  Act No. 76 of 2022The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 22 June 2022

  Act on Arrangement of Relevant Acts Incidental to Enforcement of the Act for Establishment of the Children and Families Agency

  こども家庭庁設置法の施行に伴う関係法律の整備に関する法律

  Act No. 76 of 2022The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 17 June 2022

  Act on the Arrangement of Related Acts upon the Enforcement of the Act Partially Amending the Penal Code, etc.

  刑法等の一部を改正する法律の施行に伴う関係法律の整理等に関する法律

  Act No. 68 of 2022The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

• 1 April 2020

  Act Partially Amending the Act on Coordination between Law School Education and the Bar Examination, etc., etc.

  法科大学院の教育と司法試験等との連携等に関する法律等の一部を改正する法律

  Act No. 44 of 2019The text after this amendment, on e-Gov

All 22 amendments already in force

• Where a school-aged child or student is found unable to attend school because of poor health, incomplete development or another unavoidable reason, the municipal board of education may postpone or exempt the custodian's duty to enrol them, under rules the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology sets.(Art. 18(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• The founder of a public or private university or college of technology needs no approval to set up a university faculty, an academic unit of a graduate school (研究科) or a junior college department that brings no change in the kinds and fields of degree the university awards, to abolish one, or for other matters a Cabinet Order sets; it notifies the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in advance instead. If what is notified breaks laws and regulations on facilities, classes or other matters, the Minister may order the measures needed.(Art. 4(2), Art. 4(2)(i), Art. 4(2)(ii), Art. 4(2)(iii), Art. 4(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
• The approval of Article 4(1) does not apply to the high schools, secondary education schools and special needs education schools of a designated city (指定都市), which notifies the prefectural board of education in advance instead. A municipality also notifies that board in advance before founding or closing a kindergarten, changing its founder or doing the other matters a Cabinet Order sets.(Art. 4(4), Art. 4-2(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• A university that has a graduate school doing education and research in a field, and the record and teaching system suited to developing exceptionally gifted people in it, may admit, under rules the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology sets, someone who has been at high school for at least the number of years the Minister sets (or someone the Minister treats as equivalent) and whom it finds exceptionally gifted in that field.(Art. 90(2), Art. 90(2)(i), Art. 90(2)(ii)) (the provisions it rests on)

• Founding or closing a school, changing its founder and other matters a Cabinet Order sets need approval (認可), and so do the same steps for a high school's full-time, part-time or correspondence course, a university faculty, a graduate school or one of its academic units (研究科), and a junior college department: approval from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for a public or private university or college of technology, from the prefectural board of education (都道府県の教育委員会) for a high school, secondary education school or special needs education school a municipality founds, and from the prefectural governor (都道府県知事) for a private kindergarten, elementary, junior high, compulsory education, high, secondary education or special needs education school. Founding or closing a specialized training college or one of its courses, changing its founder or changing its purpose, and founding or closing a miscellaneous school (各種学校), changing its founder or other matters a Cabinet Order sets, likewise need the approval of the prefectural board of education if a municipality founds it and of the governor if it is private. An applicant refused approval for a specialized training college is told so in writing, with the reasons.(Art. 4(1), Art. 4(1)(i), Art. 4(1)(ii), Art. 4(1)(iii), Art. 130(1), Art. 130(4), Art. 134(2)) (the provisions it rests on)
• The authority that approves a school under Article 4(1) — and, for a kindergarten a municipality founds, the prefectural board of education — may order the school closed if it breaks laws or regulations (法令) on purpose, breaks an order that authority made under them, or holds no classes for six months or more. The prefectural board of education may order a municipal school, and the prefectural governor a private school, other than a university or college of technology, to change what breaks laws and regulations, or the board's or governor's own rules, on facilities, classes and other matters. Where a public or private university or college of technology breaks laws and regulations on facilities, classes or other matters, the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology may recommend measures, order changes if the recommendation brings no improvement, and, if the order brings none either, order the organization the recommendation concerns abolished, and may require the university or college to report or submit materials for any of these steps.(Art. 13(1), Art. 13(1)(i), Art. 13(1)(ii), Art. 13(1)(iii), Art. 13(2), Art. 14(1), Art. 15(1), Art. 15(2), Art. 15(3), Art. 15(4)) (the provisions it rests on)
• The prefectural board of education, for one a municipality founds, or the prefectural governor, for a private one, may likewise order a specialized training college or a miscellaneous school (各種学校) closed if it breaks laws or regulations (法令) on purpose, breaks an order that board or governor made under them, or holds no classes for six months or more, and may order it to change what breaks laws and regulations, or the board's or governor's own rules, on facilities, classes and other matters. A specialized training college's founder is told of a closure order in writing, with the reasons.(Art. 133(1), Art. 133(2), Art. 134(2), Art. 13(1), Art. 13(1)(i), Art. 13(1)(ii), Art. 13(1)(iii), Art. 14(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• A municipal board of education (市町村の教育委員会) may order the custodians of a pupil to keep the pupil away from school (出席停止) where it finds the pupil's conduct poor — repeatedly causing other pupils injury, distress or loss of property, causing staff injury or distress, damaging the facilities or disrupting classes, among others — and a hindrance to other pupils' education; this applies in elementary schools, junior high schools and compulsory education schools. It must hear the custodians first and give them a document stating the reason and the period. It also takes the measures the pupil's education needs during that period, support for the pupil's learning among them.(Art. 35(1), Art. 35(1)(i), Art. 35(1)(ii), Art. 35(1)(iii), Art. 35(1)(iv), Art. 35(2), Art. 35(4), Art. 49(1), Art. 49-8(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• Where the prefectural board of education — or, for a privately run facility, the prefectural governor — finds something that is not a school, specialized training college or miscellaneous school giving the education of a specialized training college or miscellaneous school, it may recommend that those concerned apply for approval within a set period of at least one month. If they ignore the recommendation and carry on, or carry on after approval is refused, it may order them to stop that education. The governor must first hear the private school council (私立学校審議会) before giving that order.(Art. 136(1), Art. 136(2), Art. 136(3)) (the provisions it rests on)
• A custodian who has been urged (督促) to fulfil the duty to enrol a child, under the procedure a Cabinet Order sets, and still does not, faces a fine of up to 100,000 yen. So does anyone who employs a school-aged child or student in a way that keeps them from receiving compulsory education.(Art. 144(1), Art. 17(3), Art. 145(1), Art. 20(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• Breaking an order to close a school (a municipal kindergarten, a specialized training college or a miscellaneous school included), or an order to stop giving a specialized training college's or miscellaneous school's education, is punishable by up to six months' imprisonment (拘禁刑) or a fine of up to 200,000 yen. A facility outside Article 1 may not use the name of a school listed there or of a graduate school (大学院), and only a specialized training college may use the name specialized training college (専修学校), only one with a post-secondary course the name professional training college (専門学校), and only one with an upper secondary course (高等課程) the name upper secondary specialized training school (高等専修学校). Whoever breaks those name rules faces a fine of up to 100,000 yen.(Art. 143(1), Art. 13(1), Art. 13(2), Art. 133(1), Art. 134(2), Art. 136(2), Art. 135(1), Art. 135(2), Art. 146(1)) (the provisions it rests on)
• No request for administrative review (審査請求) can be made against a decision of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology on approval to found a university or college of technology, or against the Minister's failure to decide. Chapter III of the Administrative Procedure Act (行政手続法), a separate Act, on adverse dispositions (不利益処分), does not apply to the decisions on the duty to enrol a child that a Cabinet Order names.(Art. 139(1), Art. 138(1), Art. 17(3), Administrative Procedure Act Chapter 3) (the provisions it rests on)