What is truly needed in Japan is independent-minded learning by individuals in order to realize independence, collaboration, and creativity.

Japan is currently experiencing a critical situation in the face of rapid changes that are taking place throughout the world, such as globalization, deindustrialization, and a decrease in the productive age population. The Great East Japan Earthquake exposed and accelerated this critical situation. All these changes and crises present important questions concerning society and human life, based on the premise of material affluence.

There is no single, unified solution to overcoming such crises and realizing a sustainable society. All people in society need to take action in their respective fields and seek their own solutions as they share in the feeling that the crisis is their own problem. No single action is the greatest risk. Fortunately, Japan possesses strong human bonds, which are highly valued worldwide, and also various strengths, such as a highly skilled and knowledgeable population. Based on these strengths, we need to construct a mature society using a method other than seeking economic growth. To this end, we highlight the three key notions of independence, collaboration, and creativity based on diversity.

Education is the basis for further development of the whole society. Education shapes people’s personalities and various abilities, and also enriches their lives. Each individual should be encouraged to learn actively throughout his/her life. This is especially true given Japan’s declining birthrate and aging population, which necessitate the realization of a lifelong learning society in which all people learn new skills throughout their lives in order to contribute to society. This is what we need to resolve the critical situation facing Japan.

The educational administration of Japan has been given the task of reforming education and, more importantly, guaranteeing educational outcomes in order to realize an education-based nation, based on the principles of the revised Basic Act on Education. To this end, the Second Basic Plan defines the basic directions as 1) developing social competencies for survival, 2) developing human resources for a brighter future, 3) building safety nets for learning, and 4) building bonds and establishing vibrant communities. The plan sets concrete achievement targets and presents systematic strategies to reach them.