This paper examines the status of special education for mentally and physically handicapped children in Japan. Among the topics covered are these: (1) placement of students with "heavy" handicaps in special schools; (2) more mainstreamed placement of children with "light" handicaps; and (3) enforcement by prefectural and municipal governments of school attendance. A series of charts depicts the numbers of special schools and handicapped children attending special schools (for the blind, deaf, physically handicapped, health impaired, and mentally retarded); numbers of special classes in normal schools and handicapped children attending special classes; conditions of school attendance of pupils and students in the stage of compulsory education; and numbers of schools and pupils in special schools and in special classes in normal schools. Classification considerations for blind, deaf, mentally retarded, physically disabled, and "sickly" students are outlined. A chart illustrating procedures regarding school attendance concludes the paper. (CL)