Yamaguchi: Need to examine issues over September school year

May 27 , 2020

On May 26, Komeito Chief Representative Natsuo Yamaguchi spoke to reporters on the impact of the pandemic on school children, who have fallen behind on their studies as they stayed home. He said the first priority was to come up with solutions for students to regain lost time, particularly those taking entrance exams, so that everyone can take the exams on equal terms and without unfair advantage.

As to the call to push back the academic year so that it starts from September rather than April as it does now, aligning the Japanese system with other industrialized nations, Yamaguchi remained unconvinced. He said such a move would likely have far-reaching ramifications, many of them undermining the principle of equal educational opportunity. He therefore called for a more extensive examination of all the issues involved, with the emphasis on crafting prompt ways for students to catch up on their studies as quickly as possible without resorting to radical measures.

• Tweet

• Yamaguchi addresses major party convention