Merit or family background? Problems in research policy initiatives in Japan

In reviewing educational trends in Japan during the post-World War II era t he authors found that current national data sets do not contain questions a bout family background or rank of school attended that are detailed enough to permit a significant analysis of the impact of family background on educ ational attainment. Given Japan's stature in the current community of natio ns, the continued government aversion to collecting family income or educat ional background data, along with precise data on rank of school attended a nd/or types of cram school, appears negligent. The authors discuss both cul tural and political reasons that may create a reluctance to collect such da ta.