School Course Guidance Policy

Japanese - “Acquiring logical thinking and a holistic education”

From the first to the second year, students will build on their already acquired Japanese language ability. Specifically, they will develop the power to read and understand topics and compare their own thoughts with that of others by mastering fundamental linguistic concepts (e.g., kanji taught in primary schools and colloquial grammar) and by interpreting novels, essays, and explanatory notes. From the third to fourth years, the aim is for students to develop logical thinking by using texts that are highly abstract and which have increasingly complex logical structures. The classics are also studied as an independent subject from this stage, and students will start to master fundamental items needed to read and understand ancient writings and classical Chinese. From the fifth to sixth years, based on their Japanese language ability, students will be exposed to a wide variety of genres so that they can approach issues from a multitude of angles. For example, by reading classical works together with exploring a variety of modern perspectives and ideas through reading and understanding critiques of issues facing modern society, students will come to familiarize themselves with the viewpoints and feelings of people from ancient eras. Therefore, students will develop the ability to analyse and solve a diversity of social problems from various angles while at the same time acquiring a holistic education.

Mathematics – “Learning the nature of mathematics over a 6-year period”

Starting from axioms and definitions, the discipline of mathematics advances arguments simply by reasoning and creates a single, closed world. By marrying the elements of this mathematical world with the elements of the real world, we can provide mathematical solutions to real world problems. That is the practicability of mathematics. In order to acquire the ability to apply such mathematics, students in the first to second year will get used to junior high school numerical formulas and generalized diagrammatic abstract concepts – i.e., algebraic equations and diagrammatic theorems, and gain the mathematical experience needed to understand highly abstract concepts – i.e., calculations and demonstrations. From the third to fourth year, students take high school mathematics IA and IIB. High school mathematics further expands on the abstract concepts learned from junior high school mathematics. Students develop the ability to compute highly abstract mathematics quickly and accurately by the fourth year for humanities, and by the fifth year for science because they take mathematics III. In the fifth to sixth year of humanities and in the sixth year of science, students will mainly practicing university entrance examination drills. Students can hone their ability to find and apply the similarities between the abstract and the concrete concepts from the past question papers of the top universities. Over a six-year period, students will acquire the ability for abstract thinking and solving real world problems necessary after graduation, or in other words, “the true nature of mathematics”.

Science - “Nurturing inquisitive minds”

From year one, studies are divided into the four subjects of physics, chemistry, biology, and earth science. We then enter the realm of high school studies from the the third year of junior high school, and from the fifth to sixth year the curriculum is divided into the humanities and the science, from which students themselves select the subjects they want to take. The main allure of science is that students can solve the workings of the natural phenomena that surround them. Therefore, many experiments and observatory exercises are included and the background behind the discovery of existing truths are fully covered. Over the course of six years of study, students will learn to question things and develop inquisitive minds, while acquiring the ability to solve these problems independently.

Social Studies – “Imparting the joys of knowledge”

From the first to the second year, the curriculum is divided between geography (world geography) and history, and then civics is added from the third year. As we enter the fourth year, world history and modern society become compulsory subjects, while japanese history and geography (phylogeography) are optional. From the fifth year, the curriculum is divided into the sciences and the humanities, and students select one previously studied subject from science and two from the humanities, and then study those subjects until the sixth year.

Foreign Languages “Aiming for well-balanced acquisition of skills”

With the advance of globalization, it is said that English has transformed from a “knowledge receiving” tool into a “communicative” one. Rather than simply treat English as an examination subject, our aim is for students to acquire a good balance of “reading, listening, speaking, and writing” skills, principally based on the Core English subject and listening and speaking taught by teachers whose first language is English. We also do our utmost to ensure that students can obtain real experience of using English. For example, there are opportunities to interact with students invited from associated overseas colleges, and we offer a programme for student exchanges with associated colleges. A selective Advanced English Class (AEC) taught by native speakers is provided throughout the six-year period and we are also focusing efforts on helping students to advance to overseas universities.

Physical Education – “Learning to love sports”

There are no optional classes from the first to fourth years. All students study the approaches to and fundamental skills and rules of sports including martial arts, athletics, gymnastics, swimming, ball sports, and dance, and learn firsthand the pleasure of physical exercise. In the fifth to sixth years, students understand the true nature and competitive qualities of sport and can select the sports they personally like in order to encourage their active participation. Through exercise, students can learn how to cope with stress and mitigate its effects. During their six years here, students take part with a sense of fair play and a motto of “any time, anywhere, and with anyone”, while acquiring a positive sports-loving attitude to last their whole lives.