ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on factors that affect the diffusion of Global Citizenship Education (GCED) in higher education policies in Japan. GCED aims to empower all learners to take active roles locally and globally to build a more peaceful, inclusive and secure society. Now that it is referenced as a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), the concept has come to be increasingly adopted by education policymakers and institutions, including higher education institutions. However, although GCED has been integrated into the global SDG framework, its implementation reflects different local realities. This is notably the case in Japan, where concerns about GCED have been interwoven with ongoing higher education policy conversations and reform efforts. Policies aimed at the internationalisation of higher education have seen the SDG-sponsored norm come into contact with local norms reflecting distinctive agendas. Bearing this in mind, this chapter investigates the challenges in diffusing the concept of global citizenship in higher education in Japan.
