How Curriculum Reform Happens in Japan: A Multi Layered Analysis

Education policymaking in Japan is changing. Over the past twenty years, the prime ministerial executive has taken leadership in high-level policy formulation, including curriculum policy. The Ministry of Education has turned to accountability tools to legitimise its work. And local governments have encroached on the independence of boards of education. What is less clear is how new policy structures change the work of teachers and their capacity for the professional interpretation of policy based on pedagogical knowledge of ‘classroom’ practice. Based on 2 years’ fieldwork in and around eight schools, this research examines how the reform of moral education unfolded between 2015 and 2020, from its formulation at cabinet level, to its evolution in the Ministry of Education, to its enactment in schools. The workshop will present findings on how teachers and school administrators mediate policy in the contemporary Japanese education system; and how this informs our understanding of curriculum reform and educational policymaking.