| Summary: | 碩士 === 淡江大學 === 日本語文學系碩士班 === 102 === After the enactment of “Social Education Laws” in 1949, Japan established an elderly classroom called “Lakusei Gakuenn” in 1954, which made Japan an exemplary model in elderly education. The subsequent “Elderly Welfare Laws” enacted in 1963, U.N.E.S.C.O’s “Lifelong Learning” initiatives in 1965, and “Strategy for Elderly” advocacy series in 1973 served the building blocks for Japan’s elderly education programs. Furthermore, Japan’s Ministries of Health and Education have been proponents of “elderly classrooms” and “elderly talent cultivation programs.” These programs were launched with to improve living standards, increase social vitality, and reinforce the purpose of life amongst the elderly population.
In 1985, U.N.E.S.C.O promoted the “Learner’s Declaration” concept. The concept used “lifelong education” as a way to improve education standards and solve societal issues. In 1990, Japan enacted “Lifelong Learning Promotion Laws.” Since then, “lifelong education” was re-coined “lifelong learning” and encompassed a wider age group. As Japan experienced a growth in the elderly population, the concept of non-subsidized elderly education was suggested.
Japan has seen its elderly society transition into a “super-elderly” society. Given such a transition, the elderly population from the “Baby Boomers” generation is encouraged to be more independent, to co-exist with one another, to interact with the younger generation, to revitalize the local communities, and to rediscover the purposes of their lives. Learning venues such as citizen centers, cultural centers, elderly talent centers , and elderly universities were installed to provide diverse learning opportunities for elderly.
This study found that the main objectives of elderly learning in Japan are to improve standards of living and to ensure continued employment. Challenges that elderly learning faces today are 1) Demand for elderly education; 2) Oversupply of similar programs in the same region; 3) Talent placement post-elderly learning programs; 4) Sense of independence amongst elders; 5) Execution of long term vision in regional areas.
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