A report presented by the Central Council for Education to education minister Bunmei Ibuki on revisions to three education-related laws favors increased government control over education. Regrettably, under pressure from the education ministry, the council spent only about a month on discussions that will determine the direction of the nation's education.
In the end it simply endorsed the Abe administration's policy line. The council has called for, as part of the goal of compulsory education, the nurturing of love for one's country and one's community -- which have fostered tradition and culture. It has also called for renewing school teachers' licenses every 10 years.
It has proposed granting the education minister the power to demand that boards of education rectify their actions when the ministry deems the actions inappropriate or illegal. On the basis of this proposal, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has proposed specific revisions to the local educational administration law.