The Role of Education for Resident Foreigners as the Daily Life Support toward Social Participation and the Unsettled Problem --On a Case of Japanese Teaching in Ugo Town, Akita Prefecture--

摘要

The purpose of this paper is to show the role of education for resident foreigners in the local commuity and its unsettled problem of multicultural education. 1 argue that learning Japanese gives resident foreigners the chance for employment,and then they can not only enjoy social service from the community but also play a role as members of the community.The more immigrants settle in their host society,the more the problems of employment,social security,and education are raised,because they become recognized not only as the labor force but as the living existence also. Especially,in education,it raises the problem of multicultural education. The Koreans in Japan Educational Movements in Kawasaki City in the 1980u27s are a notable example. It was the turningpoint that enabled the change from the traditional educational system for resident foreigners in Japan ;the assimilation policy,to multicultural education. However the situation since the late 1980s in which the majority of foreigner population was occupied by Koreans in Japan has changed. New immigrants,who need Japanese language education,have increased in ethnic variety to include the Asian foreign wives in rural communities,especially The Tohoku area,so now the literacy education has been argued as a serious problem.Ugo Town,known for the recent increase of international marriages due to the depopulation ,especially shortage of labor and marriable women,gives supports for the daily life of foreign wives,and after they learn Japanese they teach newcomers japanese and give them advise. This is a good example of their active social participation. But there is an unsettled problem,that is the problem of multicultural education for the foreigner wives and their children.