This chapter analyzes the current philosophy of Japanese Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) with the historically accumulated efforts for quality. Then it explores the potential future directions critical for the Japanese ECEC context. The current Japanese ECEC system consists of the National Curriculum Standards for Kindergartens, the Guidelines for ECEC in Nursery Schools, and Curriculum Standard for the Integrated ECEC Centers. Behind these three guidelines/standards, collaborative relationships among practitioners, researchers, and government officials has played significant roles. Traditionally, there have been two positions, one emphasizing the child’s development as an individual child and the other emphasizing development among group relationships. Both perspectives are in the current practice. Three standards/guidelines emphasize children’s play. They also demand teachers’ daily evaluation of their practice through documentation and reflections. The framework introduces three foundational competencies: the foundation of knowledge and skills, the foundation of thinking skills, and the ability to approach learning including socio-emotional skills such as motivation, will, and social skills. There are five content areas for early childhood education and care. Children’s developments in each content area should be fostered toward the end of ECEC as the ten points of emphasis. Historically many professional development programs have been organized by the collaborative efforts in regions and the local and national ECEC organizations. On the other hand, national and local governments do not have tight controls over kindergartens, childcare centers, and integrated ECEC centers because they are regulated by different legal systems and operated by public and private sectors. There is growing momentum for cooperation among progressive practitioners, researchers, national government officials, and early childhood education centers of local governments to improve this situation. Finally, we introduce the future directions that Japanese ECEC may take with continuous efforts to reflect their pedagogy for each child.