The National Conference on Educational Reforms, an advisory body to the prime minister, held its first meeting in late March. The panel plans to meet twice a month and have a final report in two years; an interim report will be published in six months. It should expedite its discussions, and publish a final report in a year, instead of two years.

National education should aim at fostering morally sound Japanese. Something is wrong with today's Japanese, and the more education reforms are delayed, the more Japan will be filled with these unsound people. Former Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said he hoped to turn Japan into an affluent and morally sound nation. This cannot be achieved without drastic education reforms.

When the Liberal Democratic Party was established in 1955, its platform called for, among other things: constitutional amendments, the creation of the Self-Defense Forces following the withdrawal of Occupation forces, education reforms and the internationalization of the economy. The LDP has failed to promote educational reforms, which has resulted in moral decay in Japan.