Regarding the June 30 article "Older, smaller population to impact Japan's choices": Writers Brad Glosserman and Tomoko Tsunoda say that in the future, due to Japan's declining population, Japan's "economic competitiveness" will be challenged as its "markets shrink."
If this is the case, in order to compete in the global economy, Japanese students will have to be at least as knowledgeable, motivated, engaged, independent, creative and active as students from other countries. Japanese university students, however, are far below students from other countries, including China, in all of these categories.
If Japan's education administrators are not devising radical changes, then they have their heads in the sand. Perhaps a victory by the opposition Democratic Party of Japan in the next general election will inspire a "yes we can" attitude. Something has to be done now to save Japan's next generation.