The education of human rights in Japan

A comparative analysis of civics textbooks in senior high school between the 1970s and 2010s

Bibliographic Data

ID21484797
AuthorsHelix Lo (0000-0003-1702-3711, The University of Tokyo, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume46
Issue1
Pages20-38
Publication date2026-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAsia Pacific Journal of Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0218-8791 • E-ISSN: 1742-6855
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/02188791.2024.2325678
OpenAlexW4392859111
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited32

The education of human rights, or Human Rights Education (HRE), has been increasingly vital for the preservation and dissemination of human rights values in contemporary time. Japan, as an East Asian democracy, is not an exception. Yet there has been limited scholarship in English on the efforts that the Japanese government has invested in educating human rights through formal citizenship education. To what extent did (does) Japanese formal citizenship education value human rights concepts and address domestic human rights issues? This study approaches the civics textbooks of Japanese senior high schools published in the 1970s-2010s by adopting comparative content analyses. It suggests that, first, there is an increasing usage of human rights conceptual terms with Liberty as the most frequently found word in the textbooks. Second, however, limited knowledge and empowerment are provided when the human rights issues of three underprivileged groups in Japan – the Burakumin, the Ainu, and foreign residents – are taught. This study suggests the government to put greater efforts into educating students about domestic human rights issues. Future studies are also suggested to continue investigating the development of HRE in Japan and to locate the reasons behind the reluctance in teaching domestic human rights issues there

Citizenship · Citizenship education · Civics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Global Education and Multiculturalism · Peace and Human Rights Education · Psychology

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