ABSTRACT
‘Citizen’ is a word that is difficult to translate into Japanese in a way that preserves its original meaning in English. Reflecting its origin in Western social thought, the word is most often translated as either ‘Shimin’ or ‘Kokumin.’ Each of these conveys different, sometimes contradictory connotations, according to the political contexts into which they are put forth. Nevertheless, one can still find capacities of ‘the good citizen’ that both sides agree on. Recent educational reform discourses unfolding in the context of the so-called ‘globalized’ or ‘knowledge-based-economy/society’ exhibit commonality: problem-solving skills and communication/social skills are essential. However, these polarized political debates often conceal an important question regarding the ‘good citizen’: Does everyone have the potential to become a ‘good citizen’ in Japanese society? In this chapter, I argue that uncovering hidden inequality in the realization of those capacities deepens understanding of the effectiveness of citizenship education. After briefly summarizing education reforms implemented in Japan since the 1990s, through cross-sectional analyses of three cohorts of nationally sampled Japanese youth, I will focus empirically on this issue of inequality in educating ‘good citizens.
