Education minister Hakubun Shimomura on Thursday proposed making English a compulsory subject for fifth- and sixth-graders as part of a root-and-branch overhaul of the elementary, junior high and high school curricula.
The revision is intended to help students compete better internationally, particularly as the nation prepares to host the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
The new guidelines, which Shimomura submitted to the Central Council for Education, a ministry advisory panel, propose that English classes be taught from third grade, rather than fifth grade.