1. Top
  2. Publications
  3. Nurturing Young Talent to Usher in a New Era

Messages from Keidanren Executives February, 2023 Nurturing Young Talent to Usher in a New Era

Akiyoshi KOJI Vice Chair, Keidanren
Chairman of the Board, Asahi Group Holdings, Ltd.

Not long ago, Keidanren released a proposal on the formulation of the Next Basic Plan for the Promotion of Education. Even during periods of tumultuous change, education must continue to move forward. The development of diverse human resources that can blaze a trail to the future is a task not only for the business community but for the entire nation. "Investment in people" is also a pillar of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's vision for a New Form of Capitalism.

With all this in mind, Keidanren outlined nine priorities in its proposal. Of those, I would like to spotlight two in particular. The first is entrepreneurship education as a component of education tailored to a new era. Japan does not compare well with other countries in international rankings pertaining to entrepreneurship education. As I see it, we need to begin teaching entrepreneurship in elementary and secondary school with a view to becoming a major entrepreneurial power 30 or 50 years hence. Teachers should not be hard to find in the business world and other sectors.

The second priority is the perennial challenge of developing global human resources. We can all agree that global business expansion hinges on the ability to understand other cultures—that is, to build ties of trust with those raised in different environments and imbued with different values. Yet by the time one leaves school, it is already too late to develop this capacity. What we need, in my view, is an integrated curriculum, spanning elementary, secondary, and higher education, along with overseas study programs that provide direct contact with other cultures. As Chairman of UWC (United World College) Japan National Committee , which supports exchange programs at the high school level, I can affirm without hesitation that the experience of living overseas builds mature, resilient students.

I also feel strongly that a wide-ranging, well-rounded education is essential to the development of global human resources. Since this, too, is difficult to acquire after one leaves school, a liberal arts education should be incorporated in Japan's global education initiative.

Education presents a host of daunting challenges. We need to pursue selective, focused educational measures that prioritize those challenges, grouping them into short-term tasks and medium-to-long-term goals. At the same time, we need to work on improving the efficacy of measures, shunning wasteful, ineffective programs while doing everything in our power to nurture the young people who will blaze a path to a new era.

Publications