Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Member of the House of Representatives Masahito Moriyama

To solve the problem...
Educational reform to protect our children's future

Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Member of the House of Representatives　盛山正仁(Moriyama Masahito)

■ Profile
Born in 1953. Graduated from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo. Completed the Graduate School of Law at Kobe University and the Graduate School of Business Administration at Kobe University. PhD in Law and PhD in Commerce.
He joined the former Ministry of Transport in 1977. He was first elected to the House of Representatives in the 44th general election in 2005 (he is currently serving his fifth term). He also serves as Secretary-General of the Diet Members' League Aiming to Promote the Use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Education. He will become the 23rd Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in September 2023. His motto is "Every encounter is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

As Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Minister Moriyama devotes himself to a wide range of duties, including education, science, sports, culture and the arts. What reforms does he aim for? He sincerely addresses the challenges facing teachers and seeks solutions. We spoke to the Minister about a wide range of issues, from education reform to work style reform and rocket development.

I have had aspirations of working in the public sector since I was a child. When I was in elementary and junior high school, I wanted to become a doctor, but when I entered high school, I began to think that I wanted to become a politician or a civil servant. I thought that political science might suit me better than medicine. However, I think that my fundamental desire to do a job that helps people in the future hasn't changed much since I was in elementary school, when I wanted to become a doctor.
When I actually studied politics and law, I found it to be very different from what I had imagined, and of course I had some difficulties. Despite these circumstances, my desire to become a civil servant or politician remained unchanged, so after graduating from university I became a civil servant and joined a government office. I worked as a civil servant for 28 years and 5 months at the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, but when I turned 51, I decided that it was time to take action to become a politician, which had been my dream since I was a student, so I left the government office. This was the opportunity that started me on my path to becoming a politician.

■Thinking about education

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) has four main areas of jurisdiction: education, science, sports, and culture and the arts. Having previously served in the Ministry of the Environment and as chairman of the Health, Labor and Welfare Committee, I have not had significant experience in the field of education. The only thing I was involved in before becoming Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology was the promotion of ICT in school education. This involved providing tablets to all children from first to sixth grade in elementary school.
This has resulted in a shift from a teaching style in which teachers simply teach students to a style in which lessons are tailored to each individual student using tablets, and we believe that this has resulted in a higher quality education being provided.However, there are still several issues regarding education that remain.

■Challenges facing the educational field

The first issue concerns the way teachers work. Their duties go beyond teaching classes, and include a wide range of tasks such as preparing for classes, administrative work, and advising club activities. As this shows, teachers' working hours are much longer than those of ordinary corporate employees. Furthermore, there are many issues surrounding the working environment for teachers, such as the structure of school organizations and the increasing psychological damage caused to teachers by "monster parents," and work style reform is needed.
The second issue concerns children. Advances in technology have made it commonplace for children to use ICT from an early age, and they are surrounded by a wealth of information. While having easily accessible devices nearby gives children freedom to learn, it also causes many problems, such as criticism and accusations on social media and school absenteeism. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology also believes that this current situation cannot be ignored, and is being called upon to discuss how to approach it.
Furthermore, while we promote tablet-based education, I also believe it is important for children to learn through real-life experiences. I believe it is our job to think about creating a system that does not deprive children of these opportunities. I personally believe that the basis of learning is the real world. And real-world learning cannot be supplemented by tablet learning alone. I believe that it can only be supplemented by actually holding a pencil or scissors, learning and thinking with your hands.
I believe that creating an environment where children can experience a variety of things in order to grow up healthily is something that is required not only of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, but also of everyone who comes into contact with children, including parents and teachers.

■Rewards and prospects

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) handles a wide range of tasks, from education to the Paralympics and rocket development. In order to be involved in such a wide range of tasks, I have to learn a lot, and it can be difficult. However, it is the very fact that so many people are involved and the job requires a variety of skills that makes it interesting, and I feel proud and fulfilled in my role as Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Next year, I would like to focus on three main areas. The first is work style reform for teachers. As I mentioned earlier, I believe that improving the current situation for teachers and creating a better working environment will also lead to improved quality of education.
The second is to increase the number of PhDs. In order to enrich research, the base of the research field must be broadened. Just as a mountain cannot grow unless its base is broad, research results will not improve unless the number of PhDs increases. To achieve this, I would like to create a system that allows many people to obtain PhDs.
The third is rocket development.
Space may seem like a distant place, but it is actually very close to us. The GPS function that we use every day is also powered by space satellites.
Our lives are inextricably linked to space, and we have a strong connection to it. That's why I think it's important for Japan to launch rockets with its own hands.

■Message to elementary school students

I want you to value your "curiosity." Try to live your life in a way that makes it normal to think "why does this happen?" and to wonder about things. Also, think carefully about everything you do and set goals. And it's important to actually work to achieve your goals.
I want you to think for yourself, act for yourself, and win your own future.

Elementary School Newspaper September 15, 2024 Issue Waka Watanabe, 9nd year student at International Christian University

Yusuke Suzuki, fourth-year student at Hosei University; Waka Watanabe, second-year student at International Christian University; Rinno Koshiyama, second-year student at Toyo University; and Renpo Maeda, third-year student at Chuo University.