The Continuity of Geography Learning Contents in Japan

In Japan, geography is taught in Social Studies in elementary and junior high school, and in Geography and History which is subject name in senior high school. World history has been the required course while geography has not. As a result, less than half of senior high school students learn geography now and many students only learn it in elementary and junior high school. While the learning contents have been still focused on life area in elementary school, they have been focused on “Geography of Japan and the world” in junior high school since the National Curruculum in 2009. On the other hand, some people believe geography should be the require course in senior high school because geography learning is not enough now. Some schools already set geography as the required course experimentally and the MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) pays attention to the effect. In addition, the integrated education for elementary and junior high schools, and the one for junior high and senior high schools have increased in Japan. Though the impacts of this new trend are not clear now, there is a possibility that the opportunities to learn geography may be expanded because such schools have more time to teach the subjects. Moreover, the curriculum will be reconstructed according to geographical points of view and inquiry, not learning areas. It is expected that they will be more theme-centered in senior high school so that students can cultivate the geographical perspectives and thinking ability, and conduct field research more often than before.