The number of births is decreasing faster than the government expected. Japan’s shrinking population is characterized by a sharp decline in the working-age population and a gradual increase in the proportion of elderly people. The contraction in economic activity is characterized by a double structure*1: a decrease in the absolute number of the population and a decrease in consumption (=changes in consumption content and decrease in consumption amount). A society will come where the industrial structure will inevitably change.

I believe that the “2024 problem”, which has been talked about for five years since 2019, when the work style reform-related legislation began to be applied, should not be limited to the perspective of labor shortages in specific industries. Looking from the future, 2024 may be seen as the year when Japan changes direction toward domestic globalization in order to maintain an advanced society. In 2019, the Immigration Control Act was revised, opening the door to international students in Japan to find employment as “core foreign human resources.” In 2023, the Immigration Control Act was revised to address “highly-skilled foreign professionals. “The year 2024 marks the start of the gradual opening of the labor market to the world. Additionally, research results*2 show that the ratio of mid-career hires in the hiring plan for fiscal 2024 has reached an all-time high of 43.0%, approaching 50%. It is said that we are approaching a turning point in employment, away from focusing on new graduate recruitment. Added to this are variables such as AI, robots, and changes to the form of energy production. The work and working environment will become “VUCA” *3, which is unimaginable from previous experience.

Schools have a responsibility to take these issues on in response to the future. Over the past 10 years, our school has undergone various educational reforms. Recognizing that it is the way of learning that affects human resource development, we have been globalizing the way we think about learning, training, and career paths. How can junior high and high school students cultivate the seeds of strength they will need in society 10 to 20 years from now when they will be active in society? Now, after the 70th anniversary of its founding, Mutsuura Junior and Senior High School will once again give a boost to the progress of reform. The underlying philosophy of education and learning, however, is to develop people who deeply understand the spirit of “love of one’s neighbor” and peace making. We must stand on the unchanging truth, and acquire the ability to respond to changing things. We strive for education that leads to the future.

*1: “Chronology of the future: “Great changes in the industry – What will happen in Japan on the brink” written by Masashi Kawai, Kodansha Gendai Shinsho December 2022
*2: Nihon Keizai Shimbun April 8, 2024 front page article “Mid-career recruitment approaches 50% – head office survey”
*3: Abbreviating the initial letters of the words “Volatility,” “Uncertainty,” “Complexity,” and “Ambiguity,” to describe conditions that are difficult to predict.

K. Kurohata　-Principal-