Akito Okada is Professor at the Institute of Global Studies, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, where he coordinates the International Students’ Education Program (ISEP TUFS), and is responsible for the supervision of students from undergraduate to doctoral level. As an alumnus of the Department of Education, Oxford University, he completed his DPhil in Comparative and International Education in 1998 under the supervision of Professors David Phillips and Roger Goodman. His research interests include: education policy and reform; comparative and international school education; intercultural communication; education for international understanding; and international student education. Sam Bamkin is MEXT Research Scholar, currently researching at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Education and Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia. He is Churchill Fellow; Adjunct Research Fellow, Research and Clinical Center for Child Development, Hokkaido University; and Visiting Lecturer in Intercultural Communication, Leicester Castle Business School, De Montfort University. He was formerly Senior Lecturer in Education at De Montfort University. His research interests include: the enactment of curriculum reform; changes in the policymaking process; moral education policy and practice; and intercultural communication.

• Introduction.- Reform Impact and Underlying Factors.- Overview: Revision of the Course of Study: Thirty Years of Education Reform.-Introduction of New Learning Method: Active Learning.- Evaluation and Assessment to Improve Student Outcomes.- Three Case Studies: the Relativity of Revising the Couse of Study and Its Impact.- Equality of Educational Opportunity: Inequality in Japanese Education.- Conclusion: From Enthusiasm to Caution: The Future of Public Education in Japan.