This paper was developed to describe and discuss the characteristics of educational settings and school science curriculum in Japan as compared with the United States. Three major aspects of the role of science education are presented. The first is the cultural and societal expectations placed on education. This represents external influences on education which, in turn, tend to affect the nature of school science curriculum. The second aspect is a description of the organization of the educational systems and school curricula in both countries. The purpose of this section is to compare the context and management of factors which help to define the nature of school science curriculum. The third part of this summary is an inside look at the science curriculum in Japan contrasted with a perspective on the nature of the science curriculum in the United States. A 26-item reference list and an appendix containing test score data in three tables and two figures are included. (TW)