Education and Work in Japan: Implications for Policy

Abstract

Educators and policymakers in the United States and other Western countries have been reluctant to seriously consider Japanese approaches to work-related education. Consideration and analysis, as opposed to adoption, of Japanese approaches to work-related education can contribute to a better understanding of the basis for workforce development and formulation of policy. Drawing on extensive interviews with Japanese workers and managers in a variety of Japanese companies, this article describes the basis for the relationships between education and work in Japan and policy implications for the role of employers in workforce development.