Japan govt panel members urge review in education to better adapt to AI
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Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government detailed plans to promote strong economic growth through bold investments in 17 strategic fields, including AI.
PHOTO: AFP
TOKYO – Private-sector members of the Japanese government’s advisory panel urged on April 27 a review of the country’s education system, proposing shifting the focus from memorisation and correct calculations to developing the ability to acquire new skills to help better adapt to artificial intelligence.
They warned that Japanese schools are focusing on developing skills with a “short shelf life that could become obsolete or eliminated” quickly due to the rapid emergence of AI, according to proposals submitted to the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy.
The members noted that the skills prioritised in the Japanese education system – such as finding answers to a given question and learning the same materials at a uniform pace in a homogeneous group – are areas in which AI excels. But these skills do not align with the needs of the current era.
This mismatch holds back Japan’s national power, they said, adding, the country should develop human resources that can thoroughly utilise AI, especially given its rapidly declining population.
The proposals come as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s government aims to promote strong economic growth through bold investments in 17 strategic fields, including AI. The investments are being made as this technology becomes more widely used in everyday life and businesses.
“I hope we can further beef up measures to fundamentally enhance and periodically update the content of education” towards the implementation of AI in society, Ms Takaichi said at the council meeting, attended by members of her Cabinet.
The discussions at the top economic and fiscal policy advisory panel will be reflected when the government drafts its budgets.
The members also referenced a study from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry from May 2022, which projected that the skills demanded by the country in 2050 would differ significantly from those in 2015.
The study showed that while caution and responsibility were the top two abilities sought in 2015, problem-solving skills and the ability to make accurate predictions will be the top two abilities sought in 2050.
Current private-sector members include Nippon Life Insurance special adviser and head of Japan’s most influential lobby Keidanren Yoshinobu Tsutsui, Waseda University professor and former Bank of Japan deputy governor Masazumi Wakatabe, Daiichi Life Research Institute executive chief economist Toshihiro Nagahama and DeNA Co chairman Tomoko Namba. KYODO NEWS
