ABSTRACT
This chapter would not have existed without a tremendous degree of help provided by Naoko Ito, who provided a depth of information of current policies and practice and her valuable insight of the Japanese primary education. I also would like to express my gratitude to Kanako Ishida who helped me with data collection, and Shinichi Goto and his family for providing their thoughtful views on primary education from parents' perspectives. At last but not least, I also would like to thank Leonard Cseh for his continuous moral support throughout research.
