Abstract:

This research paper is one step of a larger project that focusses on Japan’s commitment to the social aspects of ESD, in particular, to multiculturalism and inclusion in pre-service teacher training. Japan's education system has been long praised for its meritocracy with a nearly 98 percent high school graduation rate, with over 50 percent going to university. Over 90% of all Japanese citizen 3 year-year olds are enrolled in preschool, which is not compulsory. But students who are not citizens, even permanent residents, are not included in these “success” statistics. Additionally, the percentage of non-citizens will rise as Japan looks abroad for workers to fill their void of young workers. On December 9, 2018, the Japanese Diet amended the Immigration Control Act (ICA) to establish two types of resident statuses, allowing foreigners of various skill levels to work in Japan. From April 2019, approximately 350,000 foreigners began to enter. Many did come, contracted to Japanese companies and schools, but because of Covid-19, were left in Japan in limbo; not able to work or go to school. Some came with family members and have lacked adequate guidance.

As Japan prepares for any influx of peoples from abroad, it can learn from the mistakes of past ICA implementations, in particular, from the NGO-driven programs of thirty years ago when Japanese-descended Brazilians and Peruvians were permitted to come to work in factories. Because Japan is a gakureki-shakai or school-credential society, school success correlates closely with future economic and social success (White, 2002). The lesson of the past ICA is that those who are not endorsed by the gakureki model, either by choice or by failure to get through it, face an uncertain road in a risk-averse culture. Without a solid policy or concrete teacher training, the growing numbers of non-national students will enter the educational system without proper academic, language, or parental support. They risk being left on the fringes of society with limited possibilities for future careers and greatly circumscribed life-choices. Although at this writing, the non-national population is barely two percent of the national total, its presence adds to the challenges faced by Japan’s post-bubble society, a society in which many of its own citizens are also at increasing risk of becoming marginalized individuals.

This research looks at the preparedness of Japanese pre-service teachers of early education, as it is at this grassroots level where their responsibility towards the developing child must also include helping that child find a balance between cultural adaption and his/her own identity. A survey of Japanese preschool pre-service teachers and teachers reveals the problematic aspects of the current system regarding multicultural training and knowledge for licensed teacher professionals.

References:
[1] White, M. (2002). Perfectly Japanese: Making Families in an Era of Upheaval. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Keywords:

Gakureki shakai, ESD, Immigration Control Act, newcomers.