ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a critical analysis of the salient issues of Japanese teacher education. It explores the development of teacher education in Japan and focuses on salient reform issues of today in teacher education. The chapter is divided into four sections: development of teacher education; teacher education in a social and political context; current reform issues in teacher education; and teacher education and issues of control. It reviews important events leading to the concentration of power in the hands of the Ministry of Education. The chapter discusses issues critical to teacher education in postwar Japan and issues involved in inservice education, teacher networks, and the future of teaching in Japan. The development of teacher networks and other voluntary study circles in Japan is very impressive in spite of the government's control of teachers through legislation, and it suggests Japanese teachers' resilience and tenacious commitment to teaching independent of government support.
