The rise of ultra-nationalism and militarism
In the area of educational theory and methodology, the 1910s and the 1920s saw the
introduction of the ideas of John Dewey and other educationists, and the influence of the global
movement known as the New Education Movement was also felt here. But as Japan moved into
the 1930s, ultra-nationalist trends gradually became discernible in Japanese education policies.
In 1937, with the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War, militarism became increasingly prominent,
and following Japan’s entry into World War II, militarist education was strengthened, as was
control over ideas and academic content. In the final stages of the war, students were mobilized
to produce foodstuffs and military supplies. Teachers were also drafted into the armed forces,
and children in urban areas were evacuated into rural districts to escape from air raids. At the
end of the war, in 1945, Japanese school system had been almost completely paralyzed