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Reconsidering Regional Geography Education in Japan

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Geography Education in Japan

Part of the book series: International Perspectives in Geography ((IPG,volume 3))

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Abstract

The author reviewed regional geography education programs in Japan, with a focus on the National Curriculum Standards. The current curriculum has been constructed with the goal of helping students acquire knowledge about actual conditions in different regions in Japan and the world as a whole. The previous National Curriculum Standards, which was announced in 1998, was designed to center on ways of elucidating regional characteristics only. This change was criticized but the two approaches are essentially complementary. Regional geography education in Japan has some unique aspects compared to that in Europe and the United States, but shares the same objectives. Although the challenges of regional geography education lie in classroom instructional practices, issues within the education system itself, including the educational environment, also pose issues for geography education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dokkyo University, 1-1, Gakuen-cho, Soka, Saitama, 340-0042, Japan

    Hiroaki Akimoto

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  1. Hiroaki Akimoto
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Correspondence to Hiroaki Akimoto .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Yoshiyasu Ida

  2. The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Minori Yuda

  3. Joetsu University of Education, Niigata, Japan

    Takashi Shimura

  4. Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

    Shunsuke Ike

  5. Toyama University, Toyama, Japan

    Koji Ohnishi

  6. Keio University, Yokohama, Japan

    Hideki Oshima

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Akimoto, H. (2015). Reconsidering Regional Geography Education in Japan. In: Ida, Y., Yuda, M., Shimura, T., Ike, S., Ohnishi, K., Oshima, H. (eds) Geography Education in Japan. International Perspectives in Geography, vol 3. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-54953-6_6

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