The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary school education in Japan

Education has an important meaning for the Japanese. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the education sector, giving rise to new problems due to the unpreparedness of society to face sudden changes. Elementary school is the most basic education in the formal education system in Japan, so it plays an important role as the main gate for Japanese society to obtain a formal education. Previous research has not specifically discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on elementary school education in Japan, therefore the discussion of this research focuses on phenomena that occur in elementary schools in Japan to find out more about the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the educational policies made by the government. This study uses qualitative and descriptive-analytical methods through a literature review of books, journals, articles, and government or institutional reports related to elementary school in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the data, it was found that compared to higher education, basic education in Japan is far behind in using technology as a learning media. In addition, there was an increase in cases of child violence and child suicide in Japan during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Japanese government tried to overcome education challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.