Geography Education in Japan

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xx

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2. Overview of Geography Education in Japan

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Outline of Geography Education in Japan

      • Yoshiyasu Ida, Takashi Shimura

      Pages 3-17

   3. Problems and Perspectives of Geography Education in Japanese Elementary Schools

      • Kazuyoshi Yoshida

      Pages 19-24

   4. Current Status and Issues in Junior High School Geography Education

      • Kaoru Hirasawa

      Pages 25-37

   5. Current Status and Issues in Senior High School Geography Education

      • Toshio Asakawa

      Pages 39-47

   6. Textbook Approval System and Geography Textbooks in Japan

      • Minori Yuda

      Pages 49-62

3. Matters of Concern for Geography Education in Japan

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 63-63

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   2. Reconsidering Regional Geography Education in Japan

      • Hiroaki Akimoto

      Pages 65-74

   3. The Current State and Issues of Field Research in Japanese Geographic Education

      • Shunsuke Ike

      Pages 75-86

   4. Maps, Globes, Cognitive Space and Geography Education in Japan

      • Kiyoshi Teramoto

      Pages 87-94

   5. Social Participation in the Community and Geography Education

      • Hirokazu Takeuchi

      Pages 95-106

   6. Geography Education as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Japan

      • Shuichi Nakayama, Fumio Wada, Jun’ichiro Takata

      Pages 107-119

   7. Institutional Issues in Disaster Prevention and Geography Education in Elementary and Secondary Education in Japan

      • Koji Ishizuka

      Pages 121-134

4. Challenges to Teacher Training and Geography Education

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 135-135

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   2. University Geography Departments and the Teaching License in Japanese Geography Education

      • Koji Ohnishi

      Pages 137-141

   3. The Association of Japanese Geographers’ Social Action Program and Geography Education

      • Takahisa Izumi, Hiromi Iwamoto

      Pages 143-153

   4. GIS and Geography Education in Japan

      • Tomoaki Ito

      Pages 155-162

   5. GIS Specialists’ Support for Geography Education

      • Hideki Oshima

      Pages 163-171

5. Research on Geography Education in Japan and Other Countries

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 173-173

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In a globalized market where the emerging workforce will increasingly travel within their nations and abroad for work opportunities, it is valuable to learn about the international education system and practices, to assess the competition. For example, annual comparison of student performance is measured across math and science subjects globally. What is not well known is how geography educational systems compare around the world and how student success in this subject translates to learning in other courses or employment after graduation. The importance of geography in our personal, professional, and civic lives is transparent when one considers how finding one’s way with a map, understanding of world cultures, or identifying spatial patterns of disease spread might influence the decisions we make. Written for a global audience, this is the first English publication on geography education in Japan, addressing some fundamental questions. What is the nature of the geography educational systems in Japan? How does the focus on content and skills in Japanese schools differ from that in other countries? This book includes 25 authors from diverse geography instruction and research experiences, making it an authoritative publication on Japan’s geography education system. The contribution of this book to the larger geography educational community is sharing the key strengths, concerns, and future of this school subject in English, where previously most publications were in Japanese. It will be a useful source for researchers and teachers to understand Japan’s evolving geography instruction in the past, present, and future. The 21 chapters are organized into themes, beginning with an overview of the geography education system in Japan, followed by chapters that deal with regional geography and fieldwork, teacher training, geography education’s contributions to society, and a comparative study of geography education across multiple countries. The book ends witha vision of geography education in the future.

• Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
• Geography Education
• Japanese Education System
• National Curriculum

• University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

  Yoshiyasu Ida

• The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

  Minori Yuda

• Joetsu University of Education, Niigata, Japan

  Takashi Shimura

• Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

  Shunsuke Ike

• Toyama University, Toyama, Japan

  Koji Ohnishi

• Keio University, Yokohama, Japan

  Hideki Oshima

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