Poverty-related issues have rarely been studied in previous consumer education. This could be due to the low perception of social welfare recipients as consumers and a lack of empathy for them. While consumer autonomy has been emphasized in recent research, the purpose and philosophy of social welfare have shifted to support self-reliance. Therefore, there is a need to understand poverty-related issues as a structural mechanism of capitalist society in consumer education. Additionally, we must address unsolved theoretical questions about how to best situate and consider a “consumer citizen society.”

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The purpose of this study was to elucidate the lesson planning process from a cross-curricular perspective for non-education students preparing for educational practice. The process was organized into the following categories: "What is at the root of your life?" "What can you do as a home economics teacher?" "Bringing into focus," and "Become a teacher." The results offer the following two suggestions for teacher training guidance: （1） Present the lesson model and then have students uncover their non-negotiable thoughts.　 （2） Design lectures so that students can easily communicate with teacher.

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We developed and practiced asset formation and investment lesson because of high request on financial education. The lesson is mainly focusing on lowering the age of adulthood, contract understanding, asset formation, and investment for 1,055 students of six high schools. The purpose was to elucidate the appropriateness of lesson content and suggest the challenges for financial education. We analyzed the lessons through a preliminary questionnaire, students’ understanding of the content, and a post-questionnaire. The results indicated a deepened understanding of lowering the age of adulthood and contracts. Although there was no significant increase in interest in investments post-lessons, there was greater recognition of the importance of studying investments during high school. As financial education will increase, it is important to develop new lessons on financial education and make them available to teachers immediately.

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While the number of immigrants working in Japan has increased in recent years, their living environment remains insufficient. The Japanese government accordingly created a holistic policy of multicultural symbiosis to accept immigrant workers in 2018. As immigrant workers experience difficulties in accessing Japanese financial services, financial literacy education and skills training are necessary, as are household management skills for immigrant workers who make remittances to their home countries. This article aims to clarify the financial education that immigrant workers need before coming to Japan. The author conducted a seminar comprising lecture and workshop sessions for 12 Indonesian workers, using an original textbook, and aimed to impart financial knowledge and skills to the attendees.

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This study developed and implemented educational materials to develop young children's awareness and proactivity in claiming their rights to medical services and participation in medical care. The main educational objectives were: (1) to increase children’s interest in their bodies and propensity to inform others when they notice bodily changes, and (2) to make these behaviors an expected part of daily life. Results showed that an interest in medical care is developed when children received continued training to actively talk about their bodies in their own words to doctors and others around them. Therefore, it can be argued that this approach may be fruitful in cultivating the ability to develop childhood independence in the future.

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This study sought to explain gender differences in university students’ consumer skills and independence levels through an online survey conducted through the Door to Society（a teaching material）and Independence Check. Independence Check results（chi-square test）showed that women were more confident about manners, whereas men were more interested in politics, economics, and business activities. Women were more likely to maintain a household account whereas men tend to plan savings and research credit card consultation services and consumer loan interest rates. Regarding consumer skills（independent t-test）, women have a better understanding of online shopping. Meanwhile, men know more about investments and consumer hotlines. Regarding consumer type（cluster analysis）, women are more cash-oriented, whereas men are more credit-utilizing. Moreover, more male students are classified as independent.

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Community-supported Agriculture (CSA) is a system wherein producers and consumers work together to support each other through crop contracts, but it is uncommon in Japan. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey related to participants’ agricultural experiences, which included CSA elements, to examine their effectiveness in consumer education. Results showed that such experiences positively impacted the acquisition of knowledge and consumption behavior related to food and agriculture. Furthermore, to achieve better results, it was found that increasing the frequency of work during the programs and reaching out to interested groups was beneficial.

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In this study，a survey on ethical consumption among elementary school students was conducted with the aim of examining what kind of learning is necessary to foster ethical consumers who aim to change their consumption behaviors. The results confirmed that the group with higher ethical consumption behavior scores had higher knowledge and awareness scores regarding ethical consumption，suggesting that there is a strong relationship between the promotion of ethical consumption behaviors and the acquisition of knowledge and awareness. The study also suggested that learning about terms and concepts not found in textbooks，such as SDGs and ethical consumption，is effective in fostering consumer citizens who will be able to solve social problems and everyday life issues.

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This study aims to examine the challenges in consumer education by confirming independence level of university students’ consumer skills and classifying them into groups. An online survey was conducted on students through door to society and independence check. The results found that students have high independence levels barring two items on contract. Exploratory factor analysis identified five factors of independence, namely, independent living skills, economic and social interests, social nature, consumer credit understanding, planning ability and thoughtfulness. Clustering led to four groups of young consumers, namely, cash utilization−oriented type, family−dependent type, credit utilization type, and independent type. Among the surveyed subjects, the most common types are “ cash utilization−oriented “ and “family−dependent “ constituting approximately 30%.

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In most cases, the multiple debtors who come to the municipal consumer affairs counseling service have some kind of disability that is difficult to identify from their outward appearance, and they have difficulties in their daily lives. It has been found that there are limitations in providing household budget management support to such consultants. We found that a new method that incorporates the principles of universal design by leveraging simplicity, clarity, reliability, and visual modes of presentation is effective in supporting household financial management for people with difficulties coping. It is necessary to establish a consultation system that incorporates the principle of universal design in this field.

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We studied sustainability of the effects of enthusiastic dietary education in elementary school carry over into junior high school by comparing the foods eaten, nutritional intake, and biomarkers of junior high school boys from schools that provided dietary education and schools that did not. Differences were observed in biomarkers such as triglycerides, cholesterol and LDL that were not present in elementary school. One explanation may be a difference in volume of luxury grocery item like ice cream eaten in elementary school that remained as a dietary habit in junior high school. This suggests the need for dietary education from junior high school as well to teach healthy food consumption behavior concerning nonessential foods that can cause lifestyle diseases.

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In order to promote concept-based inquiry, we examine the procedure for creating a learning instructional plan for concept-based inquiry and propose a consumer education curriculum that can be created by many teachers. As a method, we proposed the creation of a learning instructional plan for concept-based inquiry on practice at the A Junior High School. As a result, we found that it is difficult to create a learning plan based on the development of qualities under the current teaching guidelines. Therefore, we organized a step-by-step procedure for creating a learning plan, in which the teacher's questions are the main focus and both teachers and students can recognize the goal of a classroom as a common concept.

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This paper aims to develop and examine the effectiveness of a consumer education program for corporate employees to increase their consumer orientation. Programs that incorporate the following learning activities are effective. 1 Deepen one’s understanding of the concepts necessary for ethical activities between consumers and companies. 2 Learners will think about ethical activities to solve problems from the perspectives of both ″consumers″ and ″businesses″ . 3 Discussion of cases where ″ethical dilemmas″ arise between consumers and businesses. 4 Utilize the ″case method″ to develop individual learning, engage in free discussion among learners, and deepen the acceptance of diverse values and ways of thinking.

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This study investigates the availability of educational resources focusing on the termination of online services for younger generations. Utilizing the Consumer Education Portal provided by the Consumer Affairs Agency, searches were conducted on April 20, 2023, covering topics such as “digital educational materials” and “information and media.” Out of the 69 cases analyzed, only two materials pertained to service termination. One offered guidance on device disposal, issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, while the other dealt with the digital end-of-life considerations for the elderly. This glaring gap underscores the lack of educational resources specifically catering to the concept of “ending” digital services for the younger demographic.

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This paper explores the evolution of and issues facing consumer education initiatives by the Consumer Affairs Agency between FY2009 and FY2022, analyzing project statuses, budgets, execution funding, and policy evaluation metrics. Despite fluctuating budgets and execution funding following the establishment of the Consumer Affairs Agency and the enactment of the Consumer Education Promotion Act, recent years have seen a consistent upward trajectory. Policy evaluation has transitioned from activity to performance indicators. However, issues persist, including susceptibility to external factors like responses to changes in the age of adulthood, educational material accessibility, and indicator construction methodologies.

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This study aims to organize the national discussion on consumer education coordinators and, through analyzing coordinators’ responses to a questionnaire survey, to examine solutions for coordinators’ issues in qualitatively enhancing school consumer education. The following four recommendations were made regarding solutions for coordinators’ issues: (1) An examination of the positions and principles in the Promotion Law; (2) Active recruitment of educators ;(3) Support for teacher networking; and (4) The need to understand the actual situation at school sites.

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The first purpose of this study was to develop lessons for elementary school home economics classes that facilitate students learning the characteristics of code payments and to perceive reasons why some games are partly free. The second purpose was to facilitate students to make independent decisions as consumers, through a simulated experience of code payments. We were able to prove that setting up a simulated experience for online game billing and code payment was a highly effective learning tool for participant students who had no experience with code payment. As well, by implementing the developed classes, the students were able to understand why online game companies provide some games for free.

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We present the results of a survey of university students’ familiarity about consultation services on consumer affairs. They indicate that a significant portion of students do not know the presence of consumer-affairs consultation centers and that students are likely to ask their parents first for guidance if they become victims in consumer affairs. This result highlights the importance of improving consumer education at universities and informing their parents about available solutions for university students for early relief of consumer damage. Our survey also reveals that students’ preferred ways of communication vary; whereas a majority prefer telephone and/or face-to-face consultations at a center, some do SNS or email consultations. The center is advised to provide a variety of consultation methods.

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