Japanese Teachers and Their Intercultural Competence

In an increasingly interdependent world, it is necessary to include global perspectives in Education. One strategy might be to infuse global education in foreign language classes. The teachers are influential in this task and their well-balanced perceptions of education are a key for successful education for international understanding. This research aims both to investigate the nature of education for international understanding in Japan and to describe Japanese teachers' perceptions of such education, and their attitudes toward it. For such purposes, two types of research were conducted: 1) analyses of policies and education materials and 2) interviews with 21 Japanese teachers. The result of the interviews showed that most of the teachers seemed to have well-balanced ideas about education for international understanding. Having experience that enables one to recognize the universalistic characteristics of people has a positive impact on their attitudes. In training teachers with global perspectives, establishing cooperation between state and non-state sectors is a key. Study of theories and specific workshops should be included in teacher training as well.