Japanese adults excel at reading comprehension and handling mathematical information compared with their overseas counterparts, but are less competent when it comes to using technology for problem-solving and other tasks, according to a survey by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released Tuesday.
Japan was tops in literacy and numeracy on the OECD's Survey of Adult Skills, the international organization's first survey to measure skills needed in everyday life and the workplace. Japanese scored on average 296 and 288 out of a possible 500 in literacy and numeracy, respectively.
"The outcome shows efforts of our country's education, including compulsory education, and human resources developments by companies as well as personal development and lifelong studies by the public," said Yu Kameoka, chief supervisor for social education at the education ministry's Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau.