The drastic idea of abolishing a key administrative body put forward recently by a city in Saitama Prefecture has sent shock-waves through those involved in Japan's education system.
Last week, the city of Shiki told the central government that it wants to set up a special deregulation zone, under which it would scrap the municipal education board.
The central government has been accepting applications since April from local governments that want to establish special deregulation zones where existing regulations can be eased.