NHK Gakuen, NHK Academy of distance learning, is an educational institution established as one of the affiliated bodies of NHK, Japan Broadcasting Corporation, the sole non-public broadcasting organization in Japan. It has the largest broadcasting network with five television channels and three radio waves. NHK stands for Nippon Hoso Kyokai and Gakuen means educational institution, school or academy.

NHK Gakuen consists of three sections. They are a high school, a lifelong learning courses and social welfare education courses. These are operated on a correspondence basis. We have made full use of the postal system in Japan, NHK's educational programs on TV and radio, and new methods of audio-visual education.
NHK Gakuen was founded in 1962 and starts its activities in 1963 as a correspondence high school, where students study by NHK TV and Radio programs in conjunction with textbooks and other learning materials specially designed for correspondence learning. The purpose of NHK Gakuen Correspondence High School is to provide educational opportunities for adolescents and working adults who cannot or could not receive regular high school education. We have a total enrollment of about 4,400 students from all over Japan at present. So far, there have been more than 61,800 graduates.

In 1975, NHK Gakuen started lifelong learning courses in response to increasing social needs. There are more than 200 lifelong learning courses in about 100 subjects now.
In 1987, we began Social Welfare Course for the graduates of high schools. This course trains volunteers who engage in welfare activities in local districts. The purpose of this two-year course is to impart a broad base of knowledge and training in social welfare activities to the students. Since 1995, the graduates of this course have been qualified to take the State Examination of Certified Care Workers.
In addition to the above course, in 2001, we established a two-year course to train social workers with authorization by Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare. This course satisfies eligibility requirement for the State Examination for Certified Social Workers.