Higher school (高等学校, Kōtō Gakkō or 旧制高等学校, Kyūsei Kōtō Gakkō) was an institution of higher education in Japan, which was a preparatory institution for imperial universities and national medical colleges until the educational reform in occupied Japan.[1]
Apart from the Imperial Japanese Army Academy and the Imperial Japanese Naval Academy, higher schools were the most prestigious pre-university higher education institutions in Japan and provided liberal arts education based on 'Kyōyōshugi' instead of specialised education.
The higher schools have now been converted or mergerd into universities.[2] Despite the same name, Kōtō Gakkō (高等学校), higher schools are completely different to high schools (新制高等学校, Shinsei Kōtō Gakkō) after WW2.