Western Multicultural Education and Japanese Educational System

Modern Japanese society is affected by variousoutside influences particularly from Westerncountries which come to bear most on young people.Historically outside influences were found to be nonsignificant in Japan until modern times; after theopening of Japan the society as whole maintained abalance between influences and its cultural identity.However the current Japan is different; a majorityof young people are renouncing their traditionalidentity and are turning to Western popular culture.A number of studies addressing the relationshipbetween the American and Japanese educational systemshave concluded that Japan is following North Americantrends in various fields. The goal of this conceptualanalysis is to examine the nature and extent ofcultural diversity in Japan define the meaning ofmulticultural education in the North American andJapanese contexts and consider the relevance ofmulticultural education to Japanese education. Thisbook will be of interest to professionals studyingmulticultural education particularly its applicationto the Japanese educational system and will alsoappeal to a wider audience drawn to Japan's historyculture and society.