○ The preamble of the Basic Act on Education that was fully amended in December 2006 stipulates that “we will implement education that values the dignity of the individual, that endeavors to cultivate a people rich in humanity and creativity who long for truth and justice and who honor the public spirit, that passes on traditions, and that aims to create a new culture.” In addition, in Article 1, it stipulates “fully developing the individual character” and “to cultivate a people that is sound in mind and body and imbued with the qualities that are necessary in the people who make up a peaceful and democratic nation and society” as the objectives of education; and in Article 2, it stipulates that education shall be provided in order to achieve the following goals.

（i） having students acquire wide-ranging knowledge and culture, fostering the value of seeking truth, and cultivating a rich sensibility and sense of morality as well as building the health of the body;

（ii）developing individuals' abilities, cultivating creativity, and fostering a spirit of autonomy and independence by respecting the value of the individual, as well as emphasizing the relationship between one's career and one's everyday life and fostering the value of respect for hard work;

（iii）fostering the values of respect for justice, responsibility, equality between men and women, and mutual respect and cooperation, as well as the value of actively participating in building our society and contributing to its development, in the public spirit;

（iv）fostering the values of respecting life, caring about nature, and desiring to contribute to the preservation of the environment; and

（v） fostering the values of respect for tradition and culture and love of the country and regions that have nurtured us, as well as the value of respect for other countries and the desire to contribute to world peace and the development of the international community.

○ Based on the philosophy, objectives, and goals of the amended Basic Act on Education, Japan’s education has steadily accumulated outcomes and is required to engage in further activities to become an Education-based Nation.