Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 22nd meeting of the Education Rebuilding Implementation Council at the Prime Minister's Office.

During the meeting, discussion took place on the future of the education system.

The Prime Minister said in his opening address,

“During a speech I delivered at last month’s OECD Ministerial Council Meeting (MCM), I related the story of how the diameter of compact discs was set at 12 centimeters after Mr. Norio Ohga, a baritone singer who became the president of Sony Corporation, said that he wanted to store the entirety of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony on a single CD. That size has since become the standard around the world.

As society grows increasingly complex, it is not engineering alone that gives birth to innovation. A broader education is necessary; one that includes understanding of management and psychology, and knowledge of the arts. It is just such an education that will broaden the range of new business opportunities and generate new innovation.

This Council has considered whether or not, when accounting for these perspectives as well, the current lock-step single-track “6-3-3” education system, which has remained the same over the nearly 70 years since the war is really suitable for our future; and whether or not it is necessary to establish a new higher education framework for practical vocational education, which takes into account the needs of society. Your discussions to date have provided us with a great deal of food for thought.

The members of this council have carefully built on their discussions over the last seven months. From today, deliberations will enter the final stages, as you begin compiling your recommendations. It is no exaggeration to say that your recommendations are of the utmost importance and will shape the future of our nation. I would therefore like to thank you for your cooperation in this matter.”