Japanese Education Policy and Practice for Sustainable Socio-economic Development:
Lessons for Japanologists in Bangladesh
Keiichi Ogawa and Kohei Uno
Summary: This chapter presents current Japanese socio-economic and human resources development issues and explores the government’s current education policy and best practices to promote manpower development for sustainable economic growth. Despite Japan’s economic boom, it has undergone recession in recent years with many challenges such as a decline in working population numbers, poverty among single mothers, single elderly households and GDP growth stagnation. Japan has failed to keep up with world markets that have shifted from a financial and manufacturing-driven economy to a market dominated by IT-based industries. For sustainability in a predicted new era, ‘Society 5.0, with new technology and innovation, Japan has implemented education policies from early childhood to higher education levels. This chapter thus analyses the government’s current education policy and practices to encourage human capital development for sustainable economic growth. It also outlines the lessons Bangladesh can learn from Japan to improve its society and education system and signifies the role of Bangladeshi Japanologists in this regard.