The Reform of the Teacher Certification Update System in Japan and Its Dilemmas

Although there is a relatively perfect teacher certification system in Japan,it is still confronted with a major problem of enhancing the quality of teachers in the basic education.June 20,2007,3 newly revised bills including Education Employment Law have been passed by Japan's upper house with the majority votes.The important content in this law is that teacher's certificate is valid for 10 years.Before its update,the teacher would be obligated to receive 30 hours of education.After passing the examinations,the teacher's certificate continues to be effective.Although there are some controversies in the Japanese society surrounding the teacher certification update system,and its implementation is faced with some problems,the Japanese government's actions such as breaking the life-long teacher certification,and making teacher's in-service training a legal obligation through legislation,are worth our reference and study.