ABSTRACT
If an outsider had followed Japanese media coverage over the last three decades, he or she could not help thinking that the country has been undergoing a continuous series of “major educational reforms” over that period. Various “problems” were revealed, possible causes for these problems were speculated on, and solutions were presented. Journalists, academics of diverse disciplines, and educational practitioners contributed to these debates, as seen in a large number of publications on the topic. The public was repeatedly told that their schools had problems, and that the nation needed a large-scale “education reform” by all political parties at every election.
