Since the 1980s, youth-related problems such as school violence, bullying, and school refusal have prompted the Japanese public, politicians, and policymakers to consider education reform. I end with some comments, suggestions, and questions for further study. I provide the basic purpose of the Integrated Curriculum as stipulated by Japan's Ministry of Education and offer five examples of Integrated Curriculum educational activities in Osaka Prefectural Schools. I then provide an outline of Japan's social diversification within which these education reforms are being enacted. I describe the youth-related social issues that have prompted calls for education reform in Japan. This entry constitutes a preliminary evaluation of the Integrated Curriculum in the greater Osaka area. In the context of rapid social diversification, this study seeks to discover whether Japanese educators are utilizing the autonomy provided by this decentralization effort to explore aspects of social change via international understanding, human rights, and multicultural education. LARY MACDONALD This paper explores contemporary constructions of cross-cultural co-existence as they become manifest in a major curriculum reform initiative in Japan known as the Sogoteki na Gakushuu, or Integrated Curriculum.
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