Academic achievement was the goal of Japan's exam-oriented education system when life-time employment was intact.

But with recent changes away from stable social and economic structures, coupled with the rapid advance in information and communications technology, there's a growing demand for the nation to break away from the straight-jacket education system.

Officials of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, among others, stress the need for Japan to establish a scheme to ensure life-long learning, while urging the nation to help students better adapt to the workplace after graduating from schools and universities.