Education is a process that needs both long-term commitment and investment. So the government's move toward making preschool education free must sound attractive to many.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe views stepped-up investment in citizens as key to unlocking the country's economic potential. But there is a catch: With debt twice the size of gross domestic product, the aging nation needs to find ways to fund the proposed initiative amid ballooning social security costs.
Economists believe shifting the country's focus from the elderly to children is the right course of action, but some critics say politicians tend to cater to the needs of the elderly, who will vote for political parties that promise to maintain social welfare.