An interim report submitted by the Education Resuscitation Council to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is long on proposals designed to tackle various challenges in Japanese education but short on reasons why some problems have developed. Without in-depth background analysis, it will be difficult to find correct ways to solve the problems. This seems to be the case especially with the council's approach to bullying and violence at school.

Many readers of the report may be offended by the report's preachy tone toward families with regard to their roles in their children's education. The council's attitude could be termed meddlesome to the extent that the council seems to impinge upon the feelings and thinking of individual parents. What is bizarre and dangerous is that council members appear to lack awareness that they, as members of an advisory panel created at the initiative of the prime minister and his aides, should not seek to interfere with the autonomy of individual citizens.

The report says in part: "The educational influence of families starts with love toward children and parents becoming aware of their responsibility. Parents must not leave education to the schools and must deal with their children with strictness and love." This truism does not need to be conveyed by the council. Council members don't seem aware that they are dictating what to do to individual citizens. This is something modern democratic states consciously refrain from doing.