Student corps - Gakutotai

…As defeat became more likely, education disappeared from schools. In March 1945, the Cabinet decided on the “Outline of Education Measures for the Decisive Battle,” which stipulated that under the tense situation, students and pupils would be mobilized for urgent tasks such as food production, military production, air defense, and important research, and that classes would be suspended in principle for one year from April 1st at all schools except for the elementary school of the national school in order to achieve the above objectives. In addition, the “Wartime Education Order” (Imperial Ordinance) was issued in May, and it was decided that in schools, teachers, staff, and pupils would form student corps at each school to carry out urgent tasks during wartime and to provide urgent education and training during wartime. The government tried to mobilize everyone for the war, as Emperor Meiji said to those involved in education during the Russo-Japanese War, “Even in times of military trouble, education will not be left unattended. …

*Some of the terminology used to refer to the "student corps" is listed below.

Source | Heibonsha World Encyclopedia 2nd Edition | Information

…敗色が濃くなると学校から教育が姿を消し，45年3月，閣議決定の〈決戦教育措置要綱〉では，緊迫した事態の下，学生･生徒は食糧増産，軍需生産，防空防衛，重要研究など緊要な業務に総動員されること，国民学校初等科を除き，他の学校は上記の目的達成のため，4月1日から1年間，原則として授業を停止することが規定された。さらに5月には〈戦時教育令〉(勅令)が出され，学校では，戦時に緊切な要務に従事するとともに，戦時に緊要な教育訓練を行うため学校ごとに教職員と学生･生徒により学徒隊を組織することが決定された。政府はあらゆる者を戦争に向けて動員しようとしたのであり，それは，日露戦争中，明治天皇が教育関係者に向け〈軍国多事ノ際ト雖モ，教育ノ事ハ忽ニスヘカラス。…

※「学徒隊」について言及している用語解説の一部を掲載しています。

出典｜株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典 第２版について | 情報