Law Education in Japan and China - Comparative Analysis Focusing on Law-Related Materials

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk

This study examines law-related education in Japan and China to clarify the current state of research and to assess roles, possibilities, and challenges across elementary, junior high, and senior high levels. A comparative review evaluates trends and educational reform in Japan and connects Japan’s law-education characteristics and issues to the Chinese context. Findings indicate no evidence of a systematic study of law in Japan and support collaborative learning reforms over creating wholly new subjects.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages19

Reading Time48 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Purpose and scope

Design/approach/methods

Findings

The significance of sharing law education in East Asia

Japan: MEXT reforms and learning requirements

Learning with domestic legal materials

Law Education in Japan and China: Comparative Analysis Focusing on Law-Related Materials Masanobu Umeno (うめのまさのぶ) Gakushuin University Yoshihiko Fukuda (ふくだよしひこ) Hyogo University of Teacher Education Naho Inoue (いのうえなほ) Naruto University of Education ECNU Review of Education 2023, Vol. 6(2) 261–279 © The Author(s) 2023 Article reuse guidelines: [sagepub.com/journals-permissions](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[ ](sagepub.com/journals-permissions)[DOI: 10.1177/20965311221145943](DOI: 10.1177/20965311221145943)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/20965311221145943)[journals.sagepub.com/home/roe](journals.sagepub.com/home/roe) Abstract Purpose: This study examines law-related education in Japan and China to reveal the current state of research and identify the roles, possibilities, and challenges facing such teaching at the elementary, junior high, and senior high school levels. This study conducts a comparative review of research on perspectives toward law education in both countries, as well as the characteristics of and issues facing law education in Japan. Design/Approach/Methods: This study examines trends in research and educational reform related to law education in Japan. In doing so, it evaluates how the characteristics of and issues facing law education in Japan are related to law education in China. Findings: Results show no evidence of a systematic study of law in Japan. Reforming subjects to engage in collaborative learning is a more realistic strategy than attempting to design wholly new subjects. Accordingly, exploring what kind of learning activities are linked to law-abiding education Corresponding author: Naho Inoue, The Joint Graduate School (PhD Program) in Science of School Education, Hyogo University of Teacher Education, Naruto University of Education 748, Nakashima, Takashima, Naruto-cho, Naruto-shi, Tokushima, 772-8502, Japan. Email: [ninoue@naruto-u.ac.jp](ninoue@naruto-u.ac.jp) Creative Commons Non Commercial CC BY-NC: This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License ([https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as speciﬁed on the SAGE and Open Access page ([https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage](https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage)). in China offers insights and references for Japan. Adapting these strategies to the Japanese context and law material can help create a more systematic form of learning. Originality/Value: Through joint research by researchers and educators from East Asian countries, we intend to conduct further research on the development of curricula, textbooks, and class models suited to speciﬁc subjects. Employing the joint research learning approach discussed in this study in Japan and China may result in further learning possibilities. Keywords Curriculum, East Asia, law-related education, normative awareness, social studies Date received: 23 January 2022; revised: 6 June 2022, 22 June 2022; accepted: 26 June 2022 The signiﬁcance of sharing law education in East Asia Based on cases of law education in Japan and China, this study examines materials related to the law (i.e., legal materials) 1 to learn about the current state of related research and elucidate the roles, possibilities, and challenges of law education in these countries. In Japan, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) revised the course of study in 2017 . In this respect, MEXT noted the need to implement “proactive, interactive, and deep learning” in the learning process, foster the ability of “thinking, judgment, and expression skills,” “cultivate an attitude of proactive learning and to develop pupils’ individuality,”and “solve problems by using acquired knowledge and skills

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose for comparing Japan and China?

The study examines law-related education in Japan and China to reveal the current state of research and to identify roles, possibilities, and challenges across school levels.

What research approach does the study use?

It conducts a comparative review of research perspectives on law education, focusing on trends and educational reform related to law education in Japan and linking Japan’s issues to China.

What key finding does the study report about Japan’s law education research?

The results show no evidence of a systematic study of law in Japan, and the study argues that collaborative learning reforms are more realistic than designing wholly new subjects.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by hdkawk