Successful Leadership of Principals in Japan: A Case Study of One Successful School

This chapter explores the successful leadership of a Japanese principal through a multiple perspective and mixed method case study of a public junior high school using the research framework of the International Successful School Principalship Project. The school is guided by the philosophical statement “Shining Life, Living Power” and seeks to develop each student to their fullest potential. Under his leadership, the quality of teaching is improving as teachers respect the students’ independent learning in the classroom. Within the pandemic context, the strategies taken by the principal were to monitor the increase or decrease in the number of people infected with the new coronavirus as the basis for his decision and then to ensure safety measures. He also promoted teaching methods to enhance the students’ self-esteem in cooperation with neighborhood primary schools. This initiative successfully resulted in an increase in the students’ self-esteem. The principal was successful with a foundation of values, strategic decisions, and working to build good relationships and trust in the learning community in the context of the pandemic. The ISSPP’s international findings and the findings from the Japanese case study are broadly consistent.