A Historical Analysis of the Reappearing Teacher Shortage in Japan

The difficulty of teacher shortages has been discussed as a major obstacle to SDG 4, "Quality education for all." The problem is serious not only in countries with low-income and high-birth rates, but also in countries with high-income and low-birth rates (UNESCO et al. 2024).

Although improving teacher salaries has been highlighted as one of the promising ways to address the current teacher shortage (UNESCO et al. 2024), Japan, which is known for its relatively high teacher salaries through national legislation (Akiba and LeTendre 2009), is also facing a nationwide "teacher shortage" these days (UNESCO 2022). It is important to clarify why the "teacher shortage" problem has reappeared in Japan, because it would enable us to consider why improving teacher salaries could not solve the problem, and how we can implement it effectively. This study clarifies a historical and long-term process that teacher shortage has emerged in modern and contemporary Japan, contributing to a more holistic understanding of teacher shortage as an urgent and historical problem.

I collected newspaper articles and parliamentary records on teacher shortage, and analyzed their trends by referring to secondary sources.

As a result, the problem of teacher shortage in Japan has always been caused by exogenous factors such as population dynamics and economic changes, because the financial basis for teacher salaries was too unstable and insufficient to retain teachers and continuously attract candidates. In addition, the long-term view point for teacher supply and status has been lacking in Japan, which has resulted in the reappearance of the "teacher shortage" problem today. This study argues that it is essential not only to establish improving teacher salaries and incentives to attract high-quality candidates, which are emphasized as urgent and contemporary measures, but also to keep them stable and continuous from a long-term point of view.