This research study examines education in Japan. Emphasis is on providing a rich, detailed description of Japanese education, particularly as it is practiced in the primary school. The main descriptive points are highlighted by a comparison of the American educational system with that of the Japanese. A major objective of the study is to correct some of the misconceptions that Americans have about Japanese education. Chapter one examines how education can promote equalitarian social change. The history of Japanese education is discussed in chapters two and three. The importance of class and family and equalitarian education in the primary schools are dealt with in chapters four and five respectively. Chapter six discusses mastery learning in Japan. The impact that the Japanese primary school has had on the moral orientations of youth is treated in chapter seven. Exam competition is examined in chapter eight. The difficulties that Japan's young people are experiencing in adjusting to the adult world are studied in chapter nine. Equal opportunity is the topic of chapter ten. Chapter eleven reviews a few of the educational problems which trouble contemporary Japan and speculates on the future of education in Japan. (Author/RM)