Professor Teruhisa Se of Kyushu University criticizes the proposal to shift Japan’s school year to September as a dangerous social reform exploiting the confusion of the coronavirus crisis, warning that it would exhaust schools and administration while weakening the shared memories and bonds that unite the Japanese people.

May 19, 2020
In a state of confusion caused by dealing with a grave crisis, it is impossible to conduct a calm and sufficient examination of the necessity of reform, and it will only needlessly increase the work of people on the front lines and exhaust them.
The following is from an article by Teruhisa Se, professor at Kyushu University, published in today’s Sankei Shimbun under the title, “The September School-Start Proposal That Would Break the Bonds of the Japanese People.”
It is an article that every Japanese citizen must read.
Emphases in the text, other than the headings, are mine.
The debate over starting the school year in September has become active.
I am opposed to it.
The current coronavirus crisis is a historic event.
I understand that arguments will arise, using this as an opportunity to change society.
However, we must clearly distinguish between the following two kinds of argument.
Do not exploit the confusion.
One is the argument that the country and society should be made more resilient so that they can withstand grave crises even when faced with them.
The other is the argument that, by exploiting the confusion, we should take this opportunity to carry out a large-scale social reform that is not originally related to the crisis.
The former is necessary, but the latter should be restrained.
This is because, in a state of confusion caused by dealing with a grave crisis, it is impossible to conduct a calm and sufficient examination of the necessity of reform, and it will only needlessly increase the work of people on the front lines and exhaust them.
The September school-start proposal is a typical example of the latter argument that should be avoided, in other words, a proposal for social reform made amid the confusion.
Because of the coronavirus crisis, schools and administrative offices are already in confusion and burdened with piles of work.
If September enrollment were to begin, even if it were from September next year, a huge amount of new work would arise, ranging from changes to school events and systems, to revisions of various laws and ordinances, to dealing with the discrepancy between the fiscal year and the school calendar.
We should not further exhaust the people working in education and administration.
Moreover, when attempting a large-scale reform, we must listen to a wide variety of voices, from those in education and administration to various industries and local communities, gather the opinions of all layers of the people, and carefully examine whether the reform is right or wrong.
In the present situation of confusion caused by the coronavirus, it is difficult to carry out such work.
We must not repeat the mistake of the introduction of private-sector English tests into university entrance examinations, which was pushed forward forcefully with the support of some elements of the business world while disregarding the voices from the front lines, only to be hastily withdrawn last autumn, causing great confusion.
It disturbs the unity needed to cope with a crisis.
What I further wish to point out is that proposals for social reform such as September enrollment may weaken the bonds of unity and cooperation among the people, which are more necessary than anything else in order to cope with a crisis.
What the coronavirus crisis has made clear is that, in order to cope with a crisis, the unity and cooperation of the people are of the utmost importance.
This is especially true in Japan.
In Japan, we cannot use the method used in China, where the state gathers all personal information and uses high technology to monitor and control the behavior of the people.
Nor can we enforce restrictions on going out by means of strict penalties, as Western countries do.
It is difficult from the standpoint of legal development, but more than that, many citizens do not like such strict control.
Therefore, in Japan, the bonds among the people that bring about unity and cooperation in order to cope with crises are especially necessary.
There are various things that form the bonds among the people, but among them, “the sharing of memories and experiences” is indispensable.
On a large scale, these include memories of disasters and wars, but memories obtained from festivals, seasonal events, and the commonality of lifestyles are also important.
In today’s diversified society, memories arising from the common experiences and sensibilities brought about by school education are also important.
Greatly changing the system of school education may create a major division between the generations before and after the change.
We often see the opinion that “with September enrollment, entrance ceremonies and graduation ceremonies under the cherry blossoms would disappear,” as well as the counterargument that this is “nothing more than an emotional opinion.”
I believe that the fact that September enrollment would result in graduation and entrance ceremonies without cherry blossoms is not an issue that should be easily dismissed as “emotional.”
In contemporary Japan, the connection between “cherry blossoms and graduation or entrance ceremonies” is one of the important bonds of memory, one of the bonds of imagery, that connects the people across generations.
For example, if September enrollment were decided, the music, novels, and films that have traditionally dealt with graduation would no longer be enjoyed very much by later generations.
Not only graduation and entrance ceremonies, but memories of various school events, club activities, and entrance examinations would also become different from what they have been until now.
Or, high school baseball at Koshien would also change completely.
Because third-year students would no longer be able to participate, the excitement of “summer Koshien” would disappear.
Many novels, films, and manga based on Koshien would also come to feel unfamiliar to new generations.
Do not weaken the foundation of resilience.
The bonds among the people are formed through the accumulation of such seemingly small and everyday matters.
A change in the system to September enrollment has a great risk of leading to a weakening of those bonds.
We do not know how long the current coronavirus crisis will continue.
The arrival of a second and third wave cannot be denied.
Even if this crisis subsides, there is no doubt that our country will continue to experience various crises in the future, such as similar infectious diseases, disasters, and international conflicts.
A united response by the people will surely be required even more in the future.
How we should strengthen the country and society so that they can cope with such crises, and how we should make Japan a nation with strong legs and a strong foundation, will be a major issue from now on.
The promotion of September enrollment would not only throw education and administration into confusion and weaken the power to address the real task of building resilience, but also divide the bonds among the people across generations and greatly risk weakening the very foundation of the country’s and society’s ability to cope with crises.
We must not be misled by the arguments promoting September enrollment.