Outline of Geography Education in Japan - Geography Education in Japan - page 15

Fig. 1.2 Percentage of Japanese students who correctly located countries on a world map. (Based
on AJG-CGE 2008 ). Note : The survey was conducted by the AJG-CGE between December 2007
and February 2008 on 6,159 students from 51 high schools throughout Japan
geography education. In addition, increasing numbers of students are electing not to
take geography courses in senior high school. As a result, there are many students
who are unable to identify countries on a world atlas, as shown in Fig. 1.2 .
In light of the lack of geographic knowledge, three problems have been identifi ed
in Japan's geography education. The fi rst concerns learning content, which is based
on the systematization of geography, including topography and physical geography.
Instruction in geography content based on themes is possible, and it is necessary to
include appropriate content for learners to develop into responsible citizens. The
second problem is the development of skills. The National Curriculum Standards
set forth by MEXT states that skills such as map reading and geographical thinking
should be emphasized. However, the National Curriculum Standards does not refer
to the progressive development of skills, as highlighted by Ida ( 2008a , 2008b ,
2008c ). An important issue for the future of geography education in Japan is there-
fore to determine which skills must be taught and how they should be developed, as
students' progress through their schooling.
The third problem is the exclusion of geography from compulsory subjects in
senior high school. As mentioned above, Geography, World history, and Japanese
history constitute the single elective subject area of Geography and history, but only
World history is compulsory. Although some prefectures require senior high schools
to teach Japanese history, only an estimated 50 % of high school students take a
geography course. It is thus vital for groups involved in geography education to
appeal to the national government and society at large to highlight its importance,
such that the current National Curriculum Standards will be revised to ensure geog-
raphy is compulsory for all senior high school students.