Heizo Takenaka, state minister for financial services, exchanged opinions Saturday with high school teachers and representatives of civic groups on how to teach students about asset management and investments.
The Financial Services Agency organized the discussion session, the first of its kind conducted by the government, with the intention of revitalizing the market by speeding up the flow of funds from savings to investments.
"Japanese people's use of stocks for asset management is extremely low compared with other countries," Takenaka said at the session, held in Tokyo.
He also called for the early establishment of opportunities in which experts in financial education and schoolteachers will be able to exchange opinions on how to encourage students to invest.
Akira Arai, a teacher at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's Kunitachi High School, said teachers cannot fully explain the financial market because they are bound by curriculum guidelines set by the government.
Bank of Japan Gov. Toshihiko Fukui, who also attended the gathering, said, "Putting money that one will not be using in the short run into a place where it will be used leads to the realization of the dreams of the world."