During the occupation of Japan, from August 1945 to April 1952, the Supreme Commander for the Allied Powers (SCAP), primarily through its Civil Information and Education Section (CIE), initiated comprehensive educational reforms. The core objective was to transform Japan into a democratic nation by dismantling its highly centralized, militaristic, and rote-learning education system.
Significant changes included the adoption of a new 6-3-3-4 school ladder (Primary, Junior High, Senior High, University) and the introduction of coeducation within a 9-year compulsory, single-track system. Existing textbooks promoting nationalistic or militaristic views were censored through a process called "suminuri-kyōkasho" (blackening-over) before new, democratic materials were developed, and the complex kanji script was simplified to 1,850 commonly used characters. These reforms aimed to instill democratic, liberal, and egalitarian ideals, fundamentally reshaping the student-teacher relationship and decentralizing school administration to empower local communities.