Abstract
In recent years, various efforts have been made to foster the media literacy of youth in Japan. The government introduced new educational systems (e.g., the implementation of a "period for integrated study") and established the computer infrastructure. Enthusiastic teachers improved their teaching materials or curricula at school. The media industry or NPOs have also executed media literacy-related activities. The understanding of media literacy, however, differs with each entity. Therefore, this article reviews the major concepts of media literacy, as well as the history and current status of media literacy education in Japan. Based on such a review, issues concerning the future systematic development of media literacy such as the cooperation of the government, schools, the media industry, and NPOs are clarified and future visions can be discussed.
