For more than 2000 years, Confucian teaching has had tremendous influence on the history, politics, economy, and culture of East Asian countries and regions. Despite the rapid growth in gross domestic product (GDP), people's standard of living, and economic advancements, Confucian Asia continues to adhere to the Confucian cultural values that they…

Multicultural children's literature is a passport to foreign cultures. Because we live in a global and multicultural society, it is important to help children understand cultures different from their own. Many educators use picture storybooks to introduce the social life and customs of other societies. This article highlights four realistic…

Based on anthropological and historical inquiry, this book proposes and illustrates a new approach to the comparative analysis of educational policy. It investigates cultural conceptions of human potential as they inform social and economic goals of education by reviewing the transitions of Western countries, Japan, and the People's Republic of…

This book makes available a wide variety of cultural perspectives on education and on economic and social progress. It will help anyone concerned with these issues to overcome the North American and European bias which is all too common in dealing with the Third World and Japan. The focus is on three main questions: (1) How does the culture…

This article traces the historical development of the Japanese nation with respect to the education, character, and spirit of its people. Changes in educational thought in the post-World War II period are discussed and indication made of the active interest in and current provisions for moral education in Japanese schools. (Author/SJL)

Hakoniwa (ha ko ne wa), or Sandplay therapy, is an action-oriented and artistic psychotherapy practiced in Japan and the West. In contrast to most Western psychotherapies, which emphasize verbal and direct expression, linear and cause-effect thinking, and a distinction between physical and mental well-being, Hakoniwa makes significant use of…

The Asian family is regarded as a close-knit social unit in which elderly people are believed to occupy a highly respected position. Family members are thought to provide care for elderly parents gratefully because of filial piety. This stereotypic portrayal of Asian families, however, may not apply fully to Japanese families. This article points…

Provides an overview of Japan's educational system, covering such topics as its examination system, curriculum, extracurricular activities, and typical school day schedule. Includes information on the role of the family in education, teacher training, and teaching conditions. (GEA)

Examines the effects of culture on educational practice in Japan, focusing on three salient aspects of the cultural basis for achievement: (1) teachers and parents stress educational environments conducive to learning; (2) achievement is attributed to effort, not to innate ability; and (3) group expectations and standards are considered paramount.…

Describes availability and purpose of Japanese kindergartens and pre-school programs. Relates Japanese child rearing practices to expectations for the child in pre-school. Summarizes typical pre-school activities and their relation to nationally stated goals which focus on successful participation in group life, cooperation, self-reliance, and…

Examines the contribution Japan can make to major debates about development and aid. Discusses Japan's history of development and aid receipt. Argues that it is important to understand the crucial role played by Japanese cultural values. Emphasizes that the Japanese tradition of understanding knowledge is different from other aid providing…

This document explores the role played by women in the economic success of Japan in recent decades. Part 1 provides a brief history of Japan's rural legacy and describes its urbanization process. Part 2 reveals trends in the nature and extent of the economic activity of Japanese women using data on cohort age-groups at 5-year intervals beginning…

Moral education, a primary component of Japanese education, has no precise equivalent in Canadian education. The focus of moral education is development of personal attitudes and social values. The content of this discipline is a kind of secular humanism which has engendered in the postwar Japanese the values, attitudes, behaviors, and virtues…

Asserts that the juvenile justice system was created to minimize the adult criminal system's harsh penalties. Discusses the juvenile classification procedure, treatment and punishment, and criteria for judges in the United States, Canada, France, and Japan. Concludes that the U.S. system would be more effective if it incorporated aspects of other…

The most striking feature of the Japanese social studies curriculum at the elementary level is its role as the instructor of Japanese national values and attitudes. The social studies curriculum has gone through four major revisions since World War II. In the most recent revision, in the early 1980's, the focus has been on instituting new teaching…