This project explores racial tokenism in the Japanese academy. It grows out of concerns regarding the low status of foreign university faculty in Japan along with a need to evaluate recent government initiatives aimed at fostering "internationalization" of Japanese higher education. In this three-year case study, I investigated the work…

Over the last few years, almost all local education boards in Japan have redesigned their teacher evaluation methods. Consequently, questions then arise as to whether the new policies and practices are control measures for teachers' performance and competence or do they represent an opportunity for authentic professional development? With this in…

Discusses teaching of English in Japan and problems that can result when U.S. teachers go to Japan to teach English, including negative attitudes of teachers, teachers' inability to adjust to new culture, teachers' lack of commitment to their profession, and insistence of some teachers to do everything their way in classroom. Considers issues of…