Although Japanese society has long valued and practiced lifelong learning, it has not yet been successful in building an ethic that prizes learning, teaches creativity, and includes everyone. Bureaucratic and legal mechanisms undertaken in Japan to promote lifelong learning have included the establishment of Lifelong Learning Councils, a system…

Japan produces more technicians and engineers than the U.S. as a result of higher standards for high school graduation and college entrance, highly effective teacher inservice training, and public support for science and technology. However, the reliance on imitation and rote learning remains a weakness in the Japanese educational system. (WD)