Reports that social studies has declined in the school curriculum of Japan because of its failure to keep pace with the changing orientation of Japanese society toward the future and the emergence of an internationalized society. Summarizes recent policy initiatives and curriculum developments designed to accommodate these social changes. (JDH)

Reports on the views of 73 secondary school Japanese students toward the United Nations. Finds that most tend to think of the UN as relevant to conflicts. Describes how the hunger issue was used in an English-as-a-Second-Language class to teach about the United Nations. (CFR)