EJU Syllabus for Examination of Japan and the World (To be applied to the questions of the 2026 EJU 1st Session)

[ Purpose of the Examination ]: Japan and the World is a test that consists of questions from subject areas required for understanding the contemporary world and Japan. The purpose of the test is to measure international students’ mastery of the basic knowledge of Japan deemed necessary for studying at Japanese universities, as well as to assess their ability to think logically and form judgments about basic issues in modern international society.
The questions in the test are taken from politics, economics, geography, and history, subjects that are indispensable for a comprehensive understanding of the myriad issues and global problems facing modern society. They also cover the cross-disciplinary social topics from political science and economics listed under the heading Contemporary Society.
[ Scope of Questions ]: Questions are organized into three main categories, indicated by Roman numerals, and a range of subcategories, indicated by Arabic numerals. Representative examples of specific topics and key terms are provided for each subcategory.

I Politics, Economy, Society

1. Democratic government: Principles and ideology of democracy, political systems around the world
2. Japan’s system of government: Diet, cabinet, courts
3. The Constitution of Japan: Constitutional principles, fundamental human rights, new human rights
4. Political participation: Elections, political parties, local autonomy
5. International politics: The United Nations, changes in the structure of international relations, regional conflicts,
territorial issues, migration and refugee issues, nuclear disarmament,
Japan’s foreign and national-security policies, international law

1. The working of the economy and the development of capitalism: Coordinating economic activities, economic theories
2. The market economy: Market mechanisms, market efficiency, market failure
3. Economic agents: Households, firms, government
4. The national economy: The System of National Accounts (SNA), economic growth, the general price level,
nominal and real value, stock and flow data
5. Finance: The function of finance, central banking and monetary policy, financial liberalization
6. Public finance: The function of public finance, fiscal policy, revenue and expenditure
7. Social security: Aging populations and declining birth rates, social security systems and their history
8. Japan’s economic history: Postwar reforms, the “Postwar Miracle” period of rapid economic growth,
the current state of the Japanese economy
9. Japan’s industries: Changes in industrial structure; Japan’s food issues and agriculture, forestry, and fisheries;
Japan’s small and medium-sized enterprises; features of Japanese industries
10. The international economy: The international economic system, the system of foreign exchange, trade,
the international balance of payments, regional economic integration,
the North-South problem, economic globalization, features of industries around the world

1. The environment and natural resources: Pollution issues, global environmental issues, resource and energy issues
2. Private law and contracts: Private law, consumer issues, consumer protection and consumer administration
3. Employment and labor: Labor rights, labor issues, working conditions
4. Advances in scientific and information technology: Developments in information and communication technology (ICT), media literacy,
biotechnology
5. International society and peace: Human rights, ethnic issues, poverty, achieving a sustainable society,
international cooperation

1. Thinking geographically about the modern world and contemporary issues: Globes and maps; distances and directions; standard time and time differences;
using geographic information system (GIS) technology; climate; topography;
vegetation and soil; lifestyles, cultures, and religions; resources and industry;
population; urban and rural settlement; traffic and telecommunication; global issues;
land and the environment in Japan; disaster prevention
2. Regions of the modern world: Basic aspects of regional geography

1. Modernization and its impact: The Industrial Revolution and the establishment of capitalism,
the transformation of West Asia, the American War of Independence,
the French Revolution, achievements of the Congress of Vienna,
the restructuring of Europe, the development of North and South America,
imperialism and colonization, Japan in a changing Asia
2. The two world wars and their impact: World War I and the Russian Revolution, Western countries under the Versailles system,
the transformation of Asia and Africa, European stagnation and American prosperity,
the Great Depression and World WarⅡ, formation of the postwar international order,
decolonization in Asia and Africa, the Cold War, economic recovery in Europe and Japan,
the rise of the Third World, the oil crises of the 1970s
3. The post-Cold War world: Globalization and its repercussions, ethnic and regional conflicts