This page compares the education systems of Japan and Germany.
Education System Overview
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| System Type | Public-private mix; Governance model: Centralized (Curriculum standards set by national government, administration by local boards). [MEXT] | Public-private mix; Governance model: Decentralized (federal). School education is primarily the responsibility of Germany’s 16 Länder, which coordinate cross-state matters through the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). [KMK] |
| Governing Body | Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) | Länder ministries of education hold primary responsibility for schools and coordinate through the KMK. At federal level, the education portfolio is held by the Federal Ministry for Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth (BMBFSFJ). [BMBFSFJ] |
| Government Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) | Approximately 3.4% (Lower than OECD average, high private household contribution). [OECD] | 5.2% of GDP in 2022, the latest value in the World Bank indicator sourced from UNESCO UIS. [World Bank] |
Education Structure & Compulsory Schooling
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory Age Range | From age 6 to age 15 (Elementary and Junior High School). | Compulsory schooling normally begins in the year a child turns 6. The end point varies by Land and pathway because full-time compulsory schooling may be followed by part-time vocational schooling requirements. [KMK] |
| Total Compulsory Duration (Years) | 9 years (6 years Elementary + 3 years Junior High). | 9 years of full-time schooling in most Länder; 10 years in Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen and Thuringia, while North Rhine-Westphalia uses nine or ten depending on the program. For young people not attending full-time upper secondary education, part-time vocational schooling typically lasts another 3 years. [KMK] |
| Pre-primary Education (ECE) Access | Optional; Enrollment rate for ages 3–5 is roughly 95% (High participation in Kindergarten/Nursery). [MEXT] | Optional; the participation rate for children aged 3 to under 6 was 95.0% on 1 March 2025. [Destatis] |
| Primary + Secondary Education Structure (Years) | 6 + 3 + 3 (Elementary + Junior High + Senior High). | Typically 4 + 5–6 + 2–3: primary school normally covers grades 1–4, followed by differentiated lower secondary pathways and upper secondary education. Primary school covers grades 1–6 in Berlin and Brandenburg. [KMK] |
| Vocational vs. General Upper Secondary Split (%) | Approx. 23% Vocational (including specialized courses/Kosen) / 77% General. | — |
Academic Calendar & Instruction Time
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Academic Year Start (Typical Month) | April | August/September, depending on the Land. |
| Academic Year End (Typical Month) | March | June/July, depending on the Land. |
| Instruction Weeks per Year | 35–40 weeks (Trimester system is common). | Approximately 38 weeks, with calendars determined by the Länder. |
| Instruction Days per Year | Approximately 200–210 days. [NCEE] | About 188 teaching days on average, with variation between Länder and school calendars. [Eurydice] |
Grading System
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Primary/Secondary Grading Scale | Typically 1–5 scale (5 is best) or S/A/B/C (Target-based grading). | Commonly a 1–6 scale, where 1 is the highest grade and 6 is the lowest; practices can vary by Land and school level. |
| Higher Education Grading Scale | GPA 0–4.0 or S (90+), A (80–89), B (70–79), C (60–69), F (Fail). | Commonly 1.0–4.0 for passing grades, with 5.0 generally representing failure; institutions may use additional grading conventions. |
Language of Instruction
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Instruction Languages (K–12) | Japanese (Sole medium of instruction in public schools). | German |
| Other Official / Minority Instruction Languages (K–12) | None officially in public system; English is a compulsory subject from Elementary grade 3. | Regional provision includes Danish, Sorbian and Frisian, with Low German also supported in relevant Länder. |
School Provision & Access (K–12)
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Public School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | ~98% in Elementary/Junior High; drops to ~67% in High School. [MEXT] | About 91% of students in general education schools attended public schools in 2023/24. [Destatis] |
| Public School Tuition Fee (Annual, Local Currency) | $0 (Tuition-free for compulsory 9 years). High school is effectively free for many via support funds. | $0 tuition at public general education schools. |
| Public Schools Nationwide Availability | Yes; public elementary and junior high schools are provided across the country through local education authorities. | Yes. Public school provision is available nationwide and organized by the Länder and local authorities. |
| Private School Enrollment Share (K–12, % of Students) | ~33% at Senior High School level; very low (~1–7%) at compulsory levels. | 9% of students in general education schools attended private schools in 2023/24, totaling about 801,100 students. [Destatis] |
| Private Schools (Geographic Concentration) | Concentrated in large metropolitan areas (Tokyo, Osaka, Kanagawa). | — |
International Schools (K–12)
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Number of International Schools (Total) | Approximately 80–100 accredited major schools. | — |
| Number of IB World Schools | 122. [IB] | 79 IB World Schools. [IB] |
| Main International Programmes Offered | IB Diploma, Cambridge, American, Canadian. | International Baccalaureate, Cambridge, American, French and other national or bilingual curricula, depending on the school. |
Resources & Learning Environment (K–12)
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Teacher Qualification (Public Schools) | Bachelor’s Degree + Prefectural Teacher License. | Typically university-level Lehramt training, commonly a Master of Education or equivalent state-examination route, followed by preparatory service and a further state examination. Requirements vary by Land. |
| Average Class Size (Primary) | 27–35 students (Legal cap lowered to 35 recently). [OECD] | 21 students per primary class in the 2024/25 school year. [Destatis] |
| Average Class Size (Lower Secondary) | 30–35 students. | About 19–26 students depending on school type in 2024/25: 19 at Hauptschulen, 21 at schools with two educational pathways, 25 at Realschulen, 26 at Gymnasien and 24 at schools with three pathways. [Destatis] |
| Average Class Size (Upper Secondary) | 35–40 students (Often larger lecture-style classes). | — |
System Performance & Learning Outcomes (OECD/PISA)
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| PISA Participation Years | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] | 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, 2025. [OECD] |
| PISA 2018 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 527 / 504 / 529 [OECD] | 500 / 498 / 503. [OECD] |
| PISA 2022 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 536 / 516 / 547 [OECD] | 475 / 480 / 492. [OECD] |
| PISA 2025 Scores (Mathematics / Reading / Science) | 525 / 503 / 538. Japan scored above the OECD averages of 463 in mathematics, 461 in reading, and 482 in science. [OECD] | 464 / 465 / 486. The corresponding OECD averages were 463 in mathematics, 461 in reading and 482 in science. [OECD] |
| PISA Performance Trend 2000–2025 | Across more than two decades of PISA participation, Japan's results have fluctuated, especially in reading, without a clear long-term direction. From 2022 to 2025, mathematics and science were about the same, while reading was lower. The 2025 mathematics and science scores were close to Japan's historical averages, and reading was close to its 2018 level. [OECD] | Germany’s 2025 averages were the lowest recorded for the country across its PISA participation in mathematics, reading and science. Compared with 2022, mathematics fell by 11 points and reading by 15 points, while the 7-point change in science was statistically about the same. The longer-term data show lower performance than the levels recorded around the early-to-mid 2010s. [OECD] |
| Strongest Subject Area (PISA 2025) | Science (Score: 538), followed by mathematics at 525 and reading at 503. [OECD] | Science (Score: 486), followed by reading at 465 and mathematics at 464. [OECD] |
Higher Education System
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Number of Higher Education Institutions (Total) | Over 800 Universities (plus Junior Colleges and Colleges of Technology). | 421 higher education institutions in winter semester 2025/26. [Destatis] |
| Number of Universities (Research Universities) | 86 National Universities. [JANU] | 112 universities in winter semester 2025/26. [Destatis] |
| Number of Universities of Applied Sciences / Colleges | 57 Kosen (Colleges of Technology) + 300+ Junior Colleges. | 206 universities of applied sciences (Fachhochschulen), excluding a further 30 administrative universities of applied sciences, in winter semester 2025/26. [Destatis] |
| Main Institution Types | National Universities, Public (Prefectural) Universities, Private Universities. | Universities; Universities of Applied Sciences (HAW/FH); pedagogical universities; theological universities; arts and music institutions; administrative universities of applied sciences. |
| Tertiary Enrollment Share by Ownership | Public: ~20% | Private: ~80% (Private sector dominates capacity). | — |
| English-Taught Degree Programmes (Bachelor + Master, Total) | 100+ (Available through a range of universities and graduate schools). | Nearly 2,400 English-taught degree programs were offered by state-recognized higher education institutions in summer 2025, including about 420 bachelor’s and 1,930 master’s programs. [DAAD] |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in National Languages (%) | ~95% (Japanese is the dominant academic language). | — |
| Share of Tertiary Programmes Taught in English (%) | <5% (English-taught programmes represent a small share of total provision). | 4% of bachelor’s programs and more than 18% of master’s programs were English-taught in summer 2025. [DAAD] |
| Main Global Ranking Used | THE (Times Higher Education) and QS. | QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 100 (Selected Ranking) | 4 in QS World University Rankings 2027: The University of Tokyo (#39), Kyoto University (#64), The University of Osaka (#95), and Institute of Science Tokyo (#=97). [QS] | 4 in the QS World University Rankings 2027: Technical University of Munich, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Heidelberg University and Freie Universität Berlin. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 500 (Selected Ranking) | 10–15 | 28 in the QS World University Rankings 2027. [QS] |
| Universities in Top 1000 (Selected Ranking) | 30–40 | — |
| National Accreditation / QA Agency (Higher Education) | NIAD-QE (National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality Enhancement). | German Accreditation Council (Akkreditierungsrat), the joint institution of the Länder responsible for accreditation decisions covering study programs and higher education quality systems. [Accreditation Council] |
| International Students (Total) | Approx. 280,000 (Recovering post-pandemic target: 400k by 2033). [Study in Japan] | Approximately 420,000 international students and doctoral candidates in winter semester 2025/26, based on the DAAD snapshot-survey projection. [DAAD] |
| International Students Share of Total Tertiary Enrollment (%) | Approx. 5–8%. | 12.7% in 2023 under the OECD’s internationally comparable tertiary-student definition. [OECD] |
Education Costs (Indicative)
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Public University Tuition Fees – Domestic / Regional (Annual, Local Currency) | Standard: ¥535,800 (approx. $3,500). Fixed for National Universities. | Typically $0 tuition for bachelor’s and most master’s programs at state higher education institutions; semester contributions still apply. [DAAD] |
| Public University Tuition Fees – International / Non-EU (Annual, Local Currency) | Same as domestic: ¥535,800 (approx. $3,500). [JASSO] | Typically $0 tuition at many state institutions, but exceptions apply for some non-EU students in Baden-Württemberg and at selected institutions in Bavaria. [DAAD] |
| Typical Tuition Fees for English-Taught Programmes (Annual, Local Currency) | National: ¥535,800; Private: ¥1,000,000–¥2,000,000+ ($6,500–$13,000+). | — |
| Language School Costs (Monthly, Local Currency) | ¥60,000–¥80,000 (approx. $400–$550). | — |
Major Education Updates & Policy Changes
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| 2000–2010: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2010–2020: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2020–2024: Key Updates & Reforms | ||
| 2025–2026: Key Updates & Reforms |
General Overview (Narrative)
| Category | Japan | Germany |
|---|---|---|
| Overview | The Japanese Education System combines national curriculum standards with local administration and a 6-3-3-4 structure. The first nine years—elementary and junior high school—are compulsory and predominantly public, while senior high school participation is widespread. Governed nationally by MEXT, the system also includes private schools, colleges of technology, junior colleges, and a large private university sector. Tokkatsu activities such as student-led cleaning and lunch service form part of school life alongside academic study. Japan participated in PISA in 2000, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2022, and 2025. In PISA 2025, Japan scored 525 in mathematics, 503 in reading, and 538 in science, with all three averages above the OECD mean. Recent changes include the GIGA School Program, the Common Test for University Admissions, elementary class-size reductions, digital learning materials, and the addition of Informatics to the university entrance testing structure. National universities remain an important part of Japan's research and higher education system. | Germany operates a federal, decentralized education system in which the 16 Länder hold primary responsibility for school organization, curricula and examinations, while the KMK coordinates cross-state standards and recognition. Compulsory full-time schooling begins around age 6 and normally lasts nine years, or ten in several Länder, with part-time vocational schooling requirements applying afterward to some pathways. General education is predominantly public, with about 91% of students in public schools in 2023/24. Germany also maintains a large vocational sector centered on the dual system of workplace and school-based training. In PISA 2025, Germany scored 464 in mathematics, 465 in reading and 486 in science; science was the highest-scoring domain. Higher education comprised 421 institutions in winter semester 2025/26, while state-recognized institutions offered nearly 2,400 English-taught degree programs in summer 2025. Current changes include the phased legal entitlement to all-day primary-school care from August 2026 and DigitalPakt 2.0 from September 2026. |