This paper presents the results of a multisite case study of adult basic education in Japan. A key finding of the study is that as part of community building within classrooms, students, teachers, and administrators prioritize human relations and expressions of empathy rather than academic skill development. In contrast to Japanese educational discourses that privilege hierarchies and competition, study participants expressed their rejection of (a) a student-teacher dichotomy, (b) formalized assessment, and (c) the professionalization of adult basic education. After reviewing the results of the study, I present implications for ongoing debates within the field about the nature of adult basic education.