The education ministry has decided to carry out a nationwide test of physical strength covering all fifth graders and middle school second-year students from this month to late July. The test will cover about 2.4 million children at both public and private schools, and cost ¥335 million. The ministry says the test is necessary to develop measures to improve the physical abilities of individual children whose strength is inadequate. But one wonders why a nationwide test is needed to accomplish this goal. Surely such individuals can be easily identified and helped by schools and teachers without such a sweeping test.

The strength test is designed to measure muscle strength, locomotion, agility and limberness. It will include eight exercises including ball throwing, a 50-meter run and repeatedly jumping side to side. Children will also be asked about their lifestyle, including whether they eat breakfast and how long they sleep. On the basis of the test, the ministry around December will announce the overall results as well as the average results for public schools in each prefecture. Local boards of education will be informed of the overall results of each school in their jurisdiction. Each school will inform each child of their individual results.

The ministry cannot justify this test. It is already carrying out nationwide sampling tests to measure physical strength of both children and adults. Schools can easily conduct their own tests and compare the results with those of the sampling tests.