Teachers in Japan are no longer held in high esteem simply because of their position in the Confucian hierarchy of status and authority. Gone is the time when the word of the sensei would bring silence and order to a classroom. Ironically, the fruits of a postwar first-world nation--increased parental education, material affluence, and a liberalization of educational practices--have placed teachers in a precarious position. This research is based on 113 formal interviews with 69 teachers and 44 parents in 10 cities between 1996 and 2001. Consultations with 22 Japanese scholars and activists during the same span of time also assisted in deepening the understanding of the complex changes taking place in Japanese society. The results are discussed within this fluctuating economic, political, and cultural climate while attending to the variation in responsibilities and attitudes across levels of schooling.