1) Obstetrics medical education in Japan, Vietnam, Thailand was compared.The education differed according to the levels of knowledge and the techniques required for first-year doctors.In Japan and Vietnam, the importance of selfdirected learning was stressed in doctors' interviews.
2) The number of deliveries students attended was much higher among Vietnamese students than among Japanese students. Accordingly, Vietnamese students rated their obstetric knowledge and clinical skills more highly than did Japanese students.
3) The major challenges in Japanese medical education are to provide medical students with opportunities to participate in medical care as a member of a treatment team by introducing clinical clerkship training and to enable students to learn in a more self-directed manner.