Constructing National Identity in a Changing World: Perspectives in Japanese education

Abstract

This article explores some of the alternative perspectives on national identity which exist within the current Japanese education system. Analysis of official Japanese Ministry of Education policy is juxtaposed with presentation of the voices of junior high school students and pre-service student teachers to highlight the issue of the role of education in developing national identity in schools. It is argued that a wide discrepancy exists between Ministry of Education ideology, and the opinions of Japanese students and student teachers, and that these conflicting discourses raise questions about the definition, form, importance and even the very existence of education for national identity in the twenty-first century.