1Information Technology Educational Reform, and Tele-education AbstractInformation technologies such as ISDN, CATV, satellite telecommunications, broadcasting, and the Internet are now being used in the field of education all over the world. In Japan there are several reasons for educational reform, including encouragement of individuality, implementation of lifetime learning, and ability to cope with information society. Tele-education is a useful means of coping with these necessities for educational reform.A number of reports on separate examples of tele-education may be referred to, but a comprehensive analysis about this theme is not available. In this paper, we analyze the importance of tele-education for educational reform in Japan. This paper also presents the current situation of Japanese tele-education, especially that related to higher education, through the application of multimedia according to the authors field research. Several cases of the actual implementation of tele-education will be introduced. The characteristics and issues of Japanese tele-education will be discussed.Keywords: Tele-education, Higher Education, Space Collaboration System, ISDN1. IntroductionIn accordance with the development of information technology, many applications of multimedia have been implemented in the fields of business, economics, and medicine. In the field of education, optic fibers or satellite interconnects different campuses far away, and students located in different classrooms can share the same lectures. Videoconference systems are used for joint conferences or symposiums for different universities. Most universities and colleges now have home pages in the Internet. In elementary education, classrooms of urban and rural schools are interconnected and share the same educational activities, and pupils of special classes for school-aged patient in the hospital can view the same lecture in the school. Telecommunications technologies have thus been extensively utilized in education and research.Tele-education has the following benefits: (a) efficiency of education; (b) diminishes regional disparities; and (c) international cooperation. Rural schools, for instance, can be interconnected with schools located in the urban areas and can receive advanced education via multimedia. They can also have easy access to lectures of more able teachers, and have an increased opportunity to come into contact with up-to-date educational information. All can receive the same level of education wherever they live. This is beneficial to diminishing regional disparities.2Tele-education can be also an effective method of international cooperation. Experimental projects have already started to interconnect educational institutions in different countries and to transmit classroom images by making use of multimedia via satellite or fiber optics.In Japan, there are several reasons for educational reform, including the promotion of individuality, implementation of lifetime learning, and ability to cope with information society. Tele-education is a useful means of coping with these necessities for educational reform. In this paper, we analyze the importance of tele-education in educational reform currently discussed in Japan. This paper also presents the current situation of Japanese tele-education, especially that related to higher education, through the application of information technology according to the authors field research. A number of cases of the actual implementation of tele-education will be introduced. The characteristics and issues of Japanese tele-education will be also discussed EDUCATIONAL REFORM AND TELE-EDUCATION In this chapter, the necessity of tele-education is discussed in the context of the current educational reform in Japan. The development of information technology is also presented. Fundamental Requirements of Educational Reform The Japanese economy is now in the process of economic transformation such as the aging society, information society, and globalization. The educational system is not an exception. Now that Japan has become a mature economy, it is being asked to play a leadership in the international society. The Japanese educational system has to be changed in accordance with this, from being a catch-up type to a leadership type. The ideal educational system in an information society is not the same as that of an industrial society.Educational reform thus should include the following objectives: (a) stress on individuality; (b) establishment of a lifetime educational system; (c) promotion of globalization; and (d) utilization of information technology in education. In the catching-up process, efficiency came from mass-production of standardized commodities, and education also stressed the mass-production of standardized students, who were skillful at mastering advanced technology and knowledge, and collaborating with others. On the hand, cu