The Japanese Education System [Paperback]

Yasuhiro Nemoto (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

This comprehensive study of the Japanese education system follows the Japanese child from the kindergarten, through the progressively more arduous and competitive environments of the elementary, middle and high schools, to the relative relaxation, even hedonism, of university life. Drawing on numerous surveys and on the author's personal experience, it provides a wealth of information on teaching methodologies, discipline, class sizes, the school day, assessment and the national curriculum. It also examines the role of the central Ministry of Education and the local boards in administering education throughout the country, and outlines and assesses the government's recent programs of educational reform. The behavior, attitudes and expectations of pupils and parents are discussed in detail, and placed within their political, social and historical context, revealing the complex cultural assumptions determining learning and socialization in Japan.

This study thus contributes to the efforts of educators and sociologists to understand and evaluate different approaches to education in diverse cultures, increasingly important in the global information age. It shows how the American and Japanese education systems are based on fundamentally different concepts of society: democratic individualism and hierarchic collectivism respectively. While discussing the positive and negative effects of each extreme, it suggests that American educators might learn from a system in which truancy, insolence, violence and drug abuse are comparatively rare. However, the study shows how the traditional ideals of Japanese education - unquestioning acceptance, self-sacrifice, and respect for superiors - face serious challenges in a time of globalization, and moral, social and cultural change.

Product Details

• Paperback: 233 pages
• Publisher: Universal Publishers; 1 edition (August 15, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581127995
• ISBN-13: 978-1581127997
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,157,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Full of statistics- -but no references, June 9, 2001

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Japanese Education System (Paperback)

This book is a succinct overview of all aspects of Japanese education. It covers everything from school fees and uniforms, to textbooks, independent after school activities, school violence, and university reforms. The book is full of statistics; unfortunately, it contains no references or suggested sources for more information. The information is quite frank, describing the negative aspects of Japanese education as well as the positive. In several places, the Japanese educational system is compared to that of the US. In these places it becomes clear that the Nemoto has an extremely superficial understanding of the US system. Readers would be advised to go elsewhere for information about the US. On the other hand, for a concise description of Japanese education, this book would be hard to beat.