In this paper, the following items are introduced and examined: (i) Description of the “Subcommittee for Studying Certification of Evaluation Capacity” (3 years) set by the Japan Evaluation Society (JES); (ii) Overview of JES's professional evaluators training initiative focusing in particular on “Certified Professional Evaluators (C.P.E.) Training Program”. So far this program has been conducted 9 times in last five years and the certification has been awarded to nearly 200 people. Finally, remaining issues of the initiative are described and possible actions are proposed, including: (i) consolidation of an enabling environment in which certified evaluators can effectively utilize knowledge and skills; (ii) development of a mechanism which controls the quality of evaluators after they complete the training program or even after they have left the professional society; and (iii) creation of systems to maintain or promote professional skills in the long term.

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The Japan Evaluation Society (JES) established the “Certified Specialty Evaluators Training Program for School Evaluators” in August 2011. For the last two decades, the Japanese government has been working toward a nation-wide implementation of school evaluation practice. The “School Education Law” revised in June 2007, and its accompanying regulations, included provisions mandating school evaluation. Under the principle that evaluations aim to yield improvement at each school, the Japanese school evaluation system encourages local-based design and operation of evaluation. However, besides establishing the laws and regulations, training the manpower for school evaluation is crucial and in immediate need.
In such a context, JES's training program for certified school evaluators aims at training evaluators who can be responsible for planning and implementing school evaluation whenever he/she is at the school site. The program includes such elements as the mental attitude as an evaluator, understanding of the national policy trends of school evaluation, knowledge of technique and skills for school evaluation. The program places emphasis on practical skills and fortunately has partnered with Tama City Board of Education in Tokyo. In September 2011, the first 12 certified school evaluators were sent out into the world.
By over-viewing the process of establishing the program and looking at its remaining tasks, we will see opportunities for program improvement ; they are (1) re-focusing the main target as the trainees - non teachers could become the main target, (2) cultivating opportunities for school evaluators' mutual study and exchange, and (3) connecting the vast social need for talented school evaluators to the certified school evaluators. Thus, the program should be contributing to the improvement of the quality of school evaluation in our country.

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In Japanese public administration, the word “efficiency” has historically been translated as “noritsu”. However, in recent years it is now often generally translated as “koritsu”. This change was effected by the vogue of New Public Management. Although both “noritsu” and “koritsu” are equivalents of the term “efficiency”, people are not aware that “koritsu” is a new concept and is used as a keyword of the administrative reform in Japan. “Efficiency” itself is not integrally defined in each discipline. For example, in the history of public administration, the concept varies by the times was praised and was criticized.
Thus, regardless of whether “noritsu” or “koritsu” is used, if people who are concerned with “public” as well as statesmen and civil servants use it as an evaluation standard for policy, programs and projects, it is essential for them to define the concept clearly and discuss its merit and deficiencies in advance.

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