School Education Act

The purpose of high school is to provide high-level professional education and regular education, in accordance with the students' mental and physical development and career, on a foundation of education in junior high school.

Education in high school is to be provided with the aim of achieving the following objectives, in order to realize the purpose as provided for in the preceding Article:

further developing and expanding the outcomes of regular education provided as compulsory education, fostering rich humanity, creativity, and a healthy body, and fostering qualities necessary in the people who make up our nation and our society;

deciding on a future career according to individuality, enhancing general knowledge, and acquiring professional knowledge, techniques and skills, based on self-awareness of one's mission in society which must be carried out;

working to establish individuality, developing a broad and deep understanding and a healthy critical ability towards society, and nurturing an attitude of contributing to the development of society.

Matters regarding the high school departments and curriculum are to be prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, in compliance with the provisions of the preceding two Articles and Article 30, paragraph (2) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 62 following the deemed replacement of terms.

High schools may have part-time courses, beyond full-time courses.

High schools may only have part-time courses.

High schools may have correspondence courses, beyond full-time courses or part-time courses.

High schools may only have correspondence courses.

For high schools established by municipalities (except designated cities; the same applies below in this paragraph) (this includes public university corporations established independently by municipalities or in cooperation with other municipalities); the prefectural board of education, and for private high schools; the prefectural governor, must give notice in advance to the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, when granting approval provided in Article 4, paragraph (1) (limited to what is stated in matters prescribed by Cabinet Order) to persons of high school correspondence courses whom have address in the jurisdictional district of the prefectures where the relevant high school is located, and whom have address in the jurisdictional district within other prefectures nationwide, both of which are to be referred to as students, as well as other matters prescribed by Cabinet Order (referred to below in this paragraph as "extensive correspondence courses"). When the board of education of the relevant prefectures or designated cities (in the case of high schools established by public university corporation; the relevant public university corporation) carry out the matters prescribed by Cabinet Order in the first sentence of this paragraph, the same applies to extensive correspondence courses of high schools established by prefectures (this includes public university corporations established independently by prefectures or in cooperation with other municipalities.) or designated cities (this includes public university corporations established independently by designated cities or in cooperation with other designated cities or municipalities).

Necessary matters regarding correspondence courses are to be prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

When a student enrolled in part-time courses or correspondence courses in high school is receiving an education in a facility for skill education, which is designated by the prefectural board of education in the location of the relevant facility, the school principal may deem studies in the relevant facility as taking partial courses of subjects in the relevant high school, as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Necessary matters regarding the designation of facilities referred to in the preceding paragraph are to be prescribed by Cabinet Order.

The course term for high schools is to be 3 years for full-time courses, and 3 years or more for part-time courses and correspondence courses.

A person eligible to enter high school is to be a person who has graduated from junior high school or an equivalent school or compulsory education school, or a person who has completed the lower courses of secondary education school, or a person who is deemed to have the equivalent or greater scholastic ability as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

High schools may have graduate courses and special courses.

High school graduate courses are to have the purpose of teaching persons who have graduated from high school or an equivalent school or secondary education school, or persons deemed to have equivalent or greater scholastic ability, as provided by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, specialized matters to a deep and detailed extent, as well as instructing their research, and the course term is to be 1 year or more.

High school special courses are to have the purpose of providing special skill education to a simple extent, to persons qualified to enter as provided in the preceding Article, and the course term is to be 1 year or more.

A person who has completed a high school graduate course (limited to those which meet the standards specified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology including having a course term of 2 years or more) (limited to persons provided for in Article 90, paragraph (1)) may be able to transfer to a university as provided for by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Necessary matters regarding high school such as enrollment, expulsion, transfer, and others are to be prescribed by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

High schools must have a school principal, vice principal, teachers, and administrative staff.

High schools may have a deputy principal, senior teacher, advanced skill teacher, chief teacher, yogo teacher, diet and nutrition teacher, assistant yogo teacher, practical training assistants, technical staff, and other necessary staff, beyond what is provided for in the preceding paragraph.

Notwithstanding the provision of paragraph (1), it may not be necessary to have a vice principal when there is a deputy principal, or a teacher when there is a chief teacher (excluding one placed pursuant to the provisions of Article 37, paragraph (20) (limited to the part pertaining to item (ii)) as applied mutatis mutandis pursuant to Article 62), respectively.

Practical training assistants are to assist teachers with their duties regarding experiments or practical training.

In the case of special circumstances, assistant teachers or lecturers may be positioned in place of teachers, notwithstanding the provision of paragraph (1).

Technical staff is to engage in technical work.

If a high school has two or more courses out of full-time courses, part-time courses, or correspondence courses, there must be a vice principal to assign and organize school duties for the respective courses; provided, however, that this does not apply to courses in one where there is a deputy principal taking charge of school duties for the relevant courses under orders.

Provisions of Article 30, paragraph (2), Articles 31, 34, Article 37, paragraphs (4) through (18), and (20), and Articles 42 through 44 apply mutatis mutandis to high schools. In this case, the term "the preceding paragraph" in Article 30, paragraph (2) is to be replaced with "Article 51", and the term "paragraph (1) of the preceding Article" in Article 31 is to be replaced with "Article 51".