A recent report has found that fewer Japanese students than ever are studying abroad. After a peak in the early 1990s, the numbers have declined to the lowest level in years. Remaining in Japan without experiencing life abroad will have repercussions that may last far into the future. More students should be encouraged to set aside the immediate demands of the next entrance exam or job hunt and experience the world.
Spending time in a foreign situation is part of becoming aware of and sympathetic with international and intercultural issues. Knowing the world through direct experience is part of maturing as an individual. This cannot always be accomplished within the walls of the classroom, even with an Internet connection. Students need to spend time learning languages, honing communicative skills, and understanding other societies and ways of life in person.
Learned attitudes and real experiences are especially important since the future will be increasingly international, like it or not. Not only large companies but even small businesses will compete directly with foreign firms. What will be needed is not so much high-level business training as a cross-cultural sense. The future competitiveness of a nation in seclusion is dubious.