The 53-year-old Fundamental Law of Education needs to be revised if Japan is to lay the foundations of a better education system in the 21st century, according to newly appointed Education Minister Nobutaka Machimura.
Revising the law is one of the key issues on the agenda of the prime minister's panel on educational reform, an advisory body that will submit its final report later this month.
"Of course, I don't think revising the law will solve serious problems in the educational field overnight," said Machimura, who is regarded as being well-versed in education issues. He was education minister in the Cabinet of Ryutaro Hashimoto in 1997, and also served as the late Keizo Obuchi's adviser on educational issues.