Abstract: There is disclosed a novel method for producing a polyphenylene ether, in which a phenol compound is reacted with an oxidizing agent in a reaction medium in the presence of a highly active catalyst comprising at least one copper compound, at least one 1,3-diamine compound selected from N,N,N',N'-tetramethyl-1,3-diaminopropanes and at least one halogen compound selected from a bromine compound and a chlorine compound, wherein the reaction medium contains at least one alcohol selected from the group consisting of methanol and ethanol. The novel method can be advantageously employed for efficiently producing a polyphenylene ether which has a desirable color and gives a composition improved with respect to Izod impact strength in combination with a rubber-reinforced polystyrene and the like. Major application of such a composition is found in the field of generally known engineering plastics.