Active learning is the outcome of a series of higher education policy reforms conducted in the late 2000s and early 2010s in Japan. This approach gained momentum after it was prioritised in a comprehensive report produced by the Central Council of Education (an advisory board of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology). It was also emphasised in a project undertaken by this Ministry. Despite its popularity and the emergence of publications focusing on its definition and associated methods, some scholars have expressed concern that active learning is not well understood or appropriately applied by Japanese university instructors. However, to date, no large-scale empirical studies have been conducted to elicit their understanding and practice of active learning. The current study addressed this research gap through a nation-wide survey of university instructors. Its findings indicate that the scholars' concerns are largely justified. Whereas the majority of respondents reported the use of instructional methods for implementing active learning recommended by the Central Council (e.g. project- or problem-based learning and cooperative learning), they tended to equate active learning with the mere use of these methods. In conclusion, we offer suggestions on how active learning should be understood and practiced by instructors.