Issues being discussed at present among historians of adult education in Japan include the following: (1) the concept of adult education; (2) the periodical demarcation of the history of adult education; and (3) by whom adult education has been organized up to the present and should be in the future. Scholars debate the concept of adult education, trying to determine a definition and parameters. Some think that the term "adult education" should be used, whereas others prefer "social education" and/or "self-directed learning." In terms of historical periods of adult education in Japan, some historians group it from the point of view of the development process of the law and regulation system, others from the point of view of political and economic policies of the central government, still others from the point of view of the development process of people's self-consciousness of their right to education, and a fourth group, from the point of view of the development process of adult education activities as a whole, both official and nonofficial. The periods before and after World War I and II also serve as demarcation points for some historians. Finally, historians discuss whether adult education has been mainly self-organized or directed by the government, with many believing that self-directed learning is to be preferred, with the government providing support but not regulation. (KC)