Outline of Geography Education in Japan

Abstract

The aim of this chapter is to present an overview of the current situation of geography education in Japanese schools and consider its future in the country. Geography is part of the Social Studies curriculum in elementary and junior high schools, and it is an elective subject in senior high school. The main content of the geography curriculum in elementary school concentrates on the students’ local environment. Japanese and world geography is the focus in junior high school, whereas world geography comprises the main content in senior high school. As for teacher training, there is an in-service training system in Japan. Furthermore, a teacher’s license update system was recently implemented requiring compulsory training, which in some universities includes fieldwork training. This chapter also addresses political issues affecting geography education and surveys how geography education groups can appeal to the government and the public, to highlight the importance of geography in schools.