Geography Education in Japan

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.

Inhalt
Outline of Geography Education in Japan.- Problems and Perspectives of Geography Education in Japanese Elementary Schools.- Current Status and Issues in Junior High School Geography Education.- Current Status and Issues in Senior High School Geography Education.- Textbook Approval System and Geography Textbooks in Japan.- Reconsidering Regional Geography Education in Japan.- The Current State and Issues of Field Research in Japanese Geographic Education.- Maps, Globes, Cognitive Space and Geographic Education in Japan.- Social Participation in the Community and Geography Education.- Geography Education as Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Japan.- Institutional Issues in Disaster Prevention and Geography Education in Elementary and Secondary Education in Japan.- University Geography Departments and the Teaching License in Japanese Geography Education.- The Association of Japanese Geographers' Social Action Program and Geography Education.- GIS and Geography Education in Japan.- GIS Specialists' Support for Geography Education.- Trends in Japanese Geography Education Research in Recent Years.- Trends of School Geography in Asia.- Geography Education as Part of Social Studies Education in Japan.- Current State and Prospects of Senior High School Geography Curriculum.- The Great East Japan Disaster and Geography Education: School Damage, Associations' Support Project, and Trends in Geography Teaching Practices .- Basic Geography and the Future of Geography Education in Japan.