4. Basic Direction of Measures by Age Group

The measures for the development of youth, which aim at the sound development of individuals from birth until around the end of their twenties, are appropriately implemented according to the particular characteristics and specific issues of the respective growth phases. In implementing the measures, attention will be given to differences between individuals, and focus will also be placed on continuity between the respective age groups.

(1) Infancy

In infancy, it is important to build a strong affectionate bond with one's parents and a specific, limited number of people, which serves as the foundation for developing basic trust and love of people in the future. At the same time, it is also vital to shape one's personality by developing cognition and emotion through diverse involvement with a multitude of people. Based on such awareness, the following measures will be implemented for the sound development of infants.

(i) Ensuring and promoting the health of mother and child
(Securing safe and stress-free pregnancy and childbirth)

Efforts will be made to promote the sharing of a common understanding among pregnant women and all others concerned in "good childbirth," which is safe, stress-free, and satisfactory, on various occasions such as during antenatal checkups. Measures will also be taken to improve perinatal services.

(Improving local health care services)

In order to ensure the mental health of pregnant women and nursing mothers, for example eliminating their anxieties about raising children and dealing with postpartum depression, municipal health services for mother and child will be promoted, such as antenatal checkups, well-baby checkups, and health guidance.

(Improving pediatric care services)

Pediatric care services will be improved in the local community so that children can receive reassurance through medical services at any time. Particularly, in the field of pediatric emergency medical care, hospitals that can receive child emergency patients on holidays and at nighttime will be secured, and key hospitals will be developed for pediatric emergency medical care that receive child emergency patients from a wide area. At the same time, a manual of pediatric emergency outpatient care will be created for utilization by doctors other than pediatricians.

In addition, measures on medical service fees for pediatric medical care will continue to be studied.

(Promoting "diet education")

In order to support an appropriate diet from before childbirth and to establish desirable dietary habits from infancy, efforts will be made to provide learning opportunities and offer information on diets for pregnant women and nursing mothers, as well as for families raising children.

(ii) Improving child-raising support
(Creating workplaces in which both men and women find it easier to raise children while working)

Actions will be implemented with a focus on encouraging workers to take annual paid leaves and reducing overtime work in order to achieve and establish 1,800 working hours a year by fiscal 2005.

Based on the "Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation," support will be provided to business proprietors to formulate and implement action plans regarding measures to support development of the next generation. Autonomous efforts by companies will also be encouraged in promoting workers to take child care leave, introducing the measures for leave to take care of a sick child, and diffusing such measures as shortening working hours until the child enters elementary school. Furthermore, widespread recognition will be achieved for the "Law Concerning the Welfare of Workers Who Take Care of Children or Other Family Members Including Child Care and Family Care Leave," and efforts will be made to establish and popularize a working environment in which workers find it easier to raise children while working.

Support will also be provided to develop local support systems that enable women in rural areas, who tend to overwork, to raise children while engaging in agricultural or fishery work.

(Supporting reemployment of people who have retired for the purpose of child-raising)

Support for preparation for reemployment will be provided to people who have resigned from work for such purposes as child-raising and who wish to become reemployed in the future, such as providing useful advice and information on reemployment.

(Strategies for having no children waiting for a day care center)

The number of children accepted in day care centers will be increased by 100,000 children during the period of fiscal 2003 to 2004 mainly in cities accounting for long waiting lists, by utilizing day care centers, family care workers, and various independent measures by local governments, as well as day care services in kindergartens. In addition, comprehensive actions will be promoted toward eliminating the need for a waiting list, such as having the prefectures and local governments of areas where the demand for child-care services is growing formulate plans on securing frameworks for child-care services.

In addition, facility improvement and the management style of privately run public facilities will be promoted, such as providing aid for facility improvement when using spare classrooms at schools or the facilities of closing schools for nursery schools. Furthermore, in order to promote provision of perse child-care services meeting various needs, widespread recognition will be achieved for already deregulated matters among local governments.

(Improving consultation services on child-raising)

In order to achieve smooth consultation services at nursery schools, measures will be taken to have nursery school teachers acquire, maintain, and improve the knowledge and skills necessary for providing consultation and advice on nursing infants and toddlers.

Efforts will be made to promote the utilization and improvement of local child-raising support centers that provide consultation and guidance on anxieties about child-raising, offer information on local child-care services, such as nursery schools and babysitters, and support child-rearing circles.

(Promoting child-raising support and network building by perse bodies)

The number of hours and days of child-care services will be deregulated, and in coordination with nursery schools or through integrated implementation by nursery schools, measures will be taken to increase home nursery services in which a child-care worker takes care of a small number of children under three years of age in the worker's own home. The establishment of family support centers that conduct mutual support child-care activities in the community will also be promoted.

Various measures will be implemented to allow all kindergartens that wish to provide day care services to engage in such services. Furthermore, the establishment of child-care facilities within business establishments will be supported, including those jointly established by multiple companies.

While providing more learning opportunities and information on home education, such as starting child-raising courses for parents raising infants and toddlers, consultation systems will be set up utilizing people with child-raising experience, so that parents who tend to become isolated can easily discuss problems with them and receive advice and guidance.

Local child-raising support networks will be developed in coordination with NPOs and volunteer groups.

Community-based efforts to support child-raising will be encouraged, such as the formulation of action plans by municipalities and prefectures based on the "Law for Measures to Support the Development of the Next Generation," and implementation of child-raising support activities by municipalities based on the Child Welfare Law.

(Economic support)

From the viewpoint of reducing the economic burden on families raising children, child-care leave benefits will be provided and the age subject to children's allowance will be reviewed.

Further study will be conducted as to the idea of concentrating the deductions for dependents to children when reviewing the basic structure of personal deductions for taxation on personal income.

(iii) Improving the quality of nursing and education in nursery schools and kindergartens
(Promoting third-party evaluation of services)

In order to secure high-quality services at registered nursery schools, methods of third-party evaluation of services will be studied to increase the objectivity of the evaluation, and effort will be made to improve the content of evaluation, such as verifying the content to make it easy for users to understand.

(Strengthening guidance and supervision to registered nursery facilities)

The quality of non-registered nursery facilities will be maintained or improved by introducing a notification system for them to effectively understand the status of their operations.

(Enhancing coordination between nursery schools and kindergartens and promoting their integrated operations; establishing a new framework)

In order to promote integrated operations of nursery schools and kindergartens, efforts will be made such as formulating guidelines for sharing facilities and securing consistency in the content of childcare/education, while encouraging nurses and kindergarten teachers to acquire each others' qualifications/certificates. Measures will also be taken to allow flexible operations according to the needs of the respective communities not only in terms of sharing facilities, but also regarding treatment of children. Furthermore, consideration will be made as to a policy to allow the establishment of consistent comprehensive facilities that integrate childcare and education for children before elementary school according to the local needs by FY 2006.

(Promoting coordination between nursery schools/kindergartens and elementary schools)

In order to redress a lack of coordination, interchanges and mutual understanding between education before elementary school and education in and after elementary school, comprehensive research and study will be conducted to increase opportunities for coordination and interchanges that attend to the continuity of children's growth and development.

(Safety education)

Safety education at nursery schools and kindergartens will be promoted in order to teach children to recognize dangerous places and conducts as well as to learn how to act to avoid danger from disasters and crimes. Traffic safety education for children and parents will also be promoted.

(2) Elementary school age

At elementary school age, it is important to develop the physical strength and exercise capacity to serve as the basis for later growth, to accumulate perse knowledge and experience, and to gain social awareness, such as with their roles and sense of solidarity in their relationships with their family and friends. Based on such awareness, the following measures will be implemented for the sound development of elementary school-aged children.

(i) Securing and promoting health
(Improving the education and consultation systems in schools)

Health education in schools will be improved by gaining the cooperation of experts, such as providing guidance on mental health, drug abuse prevention education, sex education according to the growth stage, measures against infectious diseases, appropriate measures for environmental hygiene, safety education, and guidance on diet. In addition, in order to promote actions against various health issues, the health consultation systems in schools will be upgraded, such as promoting allocation of school counselors.

(Promoting consultation systems in communities)

Community-based consultation services on children's growth, development, and mental health issues will be promoted.

(Improving pediatric care services)

Pediatric care services will be improved in the local community so that children can receive the reassurance of medical services at any time. In particular, in the field of pediatric emergency medical care, hospitals that can receive child emergency patients on holidays and at nighttime will be secured, and key hospitals will be developed for pediatric emergency medical care that receive child emergency patients from a wide area. At the same time, a manual of pediatric emergency outpatient care will be created for utilization by doctors other than pediatricians.

In addition, measures on medical service fees for pediatric medical care will continue to be studied.

(Publicity and awareness-raising activities through media)

Information will be provided and publicity and awareness-raising activities will be conducted for securing and promoting health through use of various media including Websites.

(ii) Developing abilities for daily life
(Forming basic lifestyles)

In coordination with local production, processing, and distribution industries as well as health care and medical experts, efforts will be promoted in and out of schools toward improving diet through learning opportunities and information on diet and toward improving lifestyles, such as encouraging sufficient rest/sleep, exercise, and helping with domestic chores. In addition, an attitude for a disciplined lifestyle will be fostered through moral education and hands-on experience programs in schools.

Home education will also be supported by providing more learning opportunities and information on home education to parents of elementary school-aged children, and improving the consultation systems for them. Furthermore, frameworks will be established for receiving children after school, such as clubs for after-school activities for children, that would provide an appropriate place for playing and spending time using such facilities as local children's halls after school, and programs for securing places and opportunities for activities to all children in the community. Such facilities will be established mainly around large cities to reach 15,000 locations nationwide by FY 2004.

(Enhancing physical strength)

In order to enhance children's physical strength, physical education classes will be improved by upgrading the instructors, allocating instructors dedicated to physical education classes, and utilizing external instructors, such as local sports coaches. In addition, creative efforts toward enhancing children's physical strength will be promoted throughout school education using special activities, the Period for Integrated Study, before class, and at breaks.

In order to improve the opportunities for children to get exercise through sports and playing outdoors in the community, the release of school facilities such as school athletic fields and gymnasiums, growing of grass on athletic fields, and utilization of parks will be promoted, while developing comprehensive community sports clubs and promoting nature activities.

(Developing communication abilities)

In order to develop a compassionate way of thinking and an ability to communicate with people with different opinions or in different positions, as well as to nurture the ability to express and control oneself, various opportunities will be secured and enhanced in schools and at home, such as improving programs for learning presentations and debates as well as moral education.

(Fostering moral consciousness)

In order to foster the moral consciousness of children, moral education in schools will be improved by effectively utilizing hands-on activities in cooperation with local people, while promoting such efforts as delinquency prevention classes conducted in coordination with related organizations and local people.

(Safety education)

In order for children to develop the ability to protect themselves from the risks of accidents, such as traffic accidents, disasters, and crimes, safety education will be promoted according to the growth stages of children through school education and community-based activities.

(Ability to utilize media)

Measures will be promoted for children to acquire and improve their ability to independently select and send out information through such information-access means as computers and the Internet, while recognizing the usability and roles of information and the impact of digitization (media literacy)³.

(iii) Developing academic abilities
(Improving the educational content)

Efforts will be made to increase classes with small-group education or achievement-based teaching with the aim of dramatically reducing the number of children who cannot keep up with the class. Furthermore, endeavors will be made to convey the fun and the significance of learning to children, and to develop in them the awareness of potential careers, in order to stimulate their motivation for learning.

The Courses of Study, which have been revised roughly every ten years, will be constantly reviewed and improved based on academic ability surveys and results of practical research on curriculums, in order to flexibly adapt to social changes.

(Understanding and evaluating the national level of academic abilities)

Children's learning status will be assessed by conducting nationwide and comprehensive academic ability surveys, and the problems in teaching will be identified through a detailed analysis of the survey results. The analysis results will be widely published to the general public and will be used as reference in drawing up necessary measures and improving educational guidance in the respective boards of education and schools.

(iv) Ensuring opportunities for activities that lead to accomplishment of social independence
(Securing opportunities for group activities)

Places for group activities will be secured by utilizing clubs for after-school activities for children as well as such facilities as children's halls, school facilities, and parks. In addition, opportunities for volunteer and creative activities in the community will be promoted.

(Social-service experience programs such as volunteering activities)

In order to promote social-service experience programs such as volunteering activities for children, a social momentum for such activities will be built by conducting publicity and awareness-raising activities on volunteering activities and developing infrastructures for consultation, registration, and mediation in schools and local communities so as to allow all youth to participate in volunteering activities, while carrying out model projects and developing programs concerning such activities.

(Promoting special activities in schools)

Special activities in schools will be promoted to allow children to acquire an independent and practical attitude as a member of a group or society through such group activities as homeroom activities and activities of the pupil's council.

(perse activities in the community)

Support will be provided to the activities of schools, social education facilities, local youth associations, and NPOs on various occasions in order to allow children to enjoy and independently take part in perse activities, such as experiencing art and traditional culture, reading, experiencing science and technology, having contact with animals, experiencing agricultural, forestry, and fisheries activities, taking part in nature activities including environmental activities, and doing sports, based on their own interests.

(3) Adolescence

In adolescence, it is important to start the shift to adulthood while seeking to establish inpiduality and while acquiring social norms and knowledge/abilities. Based on such awareness, the following measures will be implemented for the sound development of adolescents.

Considering the characteristics of adolescents, care will be taken to support their growth by keeping an appropriate distance from them and to provide detailed consultation and support according to gender.

(i) Securing and promoting health
(Improving the education and consultation systems in schools)

Health education in schools will be improved by gaining cooperation of experts, such as providing guidance on mental health, drug abuse prevention education, sex education according to the growth stage, measures against infectious diseases, appropriate measures for environmental hygiene, safety education, and guidance on diet. In addition, in order to promote actions against various health issues, the health consultation systems in schools will be upgraded, such as through promoting the allocation of school counselors.

(Consultation systems in communities and measures in medical institutions)

The consultation systems regarding young people's mental health, prevention of drug abuse, sex, and measures against infectious diseases in the local community will be improved, while enhancing measures in medical institutions. In particular, in order to develop sound awareness and diffuse correct understanding of sex, the consultation systems will be improved, such as through diffusing consultation and educational activities by people of the same generation who share similar views (peer counseling, peer education) and establishing trial frameworks in medical institutions for providing medical, mental, and social consultation and assistance to young inpiduals who are anxious about pregnancy.

(Publicity and awareness-raising activities through media)

Appropriate information will be provided and publicity and awareness-raising activities will be conducted to teach the importance of health in adolescence, including drug abuse prevention and maintaining a proper diet, and for securing and promoting their health through use of various media including Websites.

(Addressing the problems specific to adolescence)

Various measures will be promoted with the aim of eliminating teen smoking and drinking, to reduce the artificial abortion rate and the infection rate of sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers, and to reduce the frequency of anorexia nervosa among female adolescents.

(ii) Improving academic abilities
(Improving educational content)

Efforts will be made to increase the number of classes with small-group education or achievement-based teaching with the aim of dramatically reducing the number of students who cannot keep up with the class. Furthermore, endeavors will be made to convey the fun and the significance of learning to students, and to develop in them the awareness of potential careers, in order to stimulate their motivation for learning.

The Courses of Study, which have been revised roughly every ten years, will be constantly reviewed and improved based on academic ability surveys and results of practical research on curriculums, in order to flexibly adapt to social changes.

(Understanding and evaluating the national level of academic abilities)

Students' learning status will be assessed by conducting nationwide and comprehensive academic ability surveys, and the problems in teaching will be identified through detailed analysis of the survey results. The analysis results will be widely published to the general public and will be used as reference in drawing up necessary measures and improving educational guidance in the respective boards of education and schools.

(iii) Developing the abilities and motivation to work
(Developing views on work styles and careers as well as work-related knowledge and skills)

With the coordination and cooperation of those concerned, such as schools, companies, and the communities, increased opportunities will be provided for students to be exposed to various types of works, for example, by promoting various programs for learning about works through experience, such as observation tours of work sites, hands-on experience at work sites, and internships (working experience), using the period of "Integrated Study." Through such measures, education for systematically and methodically developing views on work styles and careers as well as work-related knowledge and skills (career education) will be promoted according to young people's growth stages. Furthermore, the promotional frameworks at both the national and regional levels will be strengthened by establishing liaison/promotional committees for internships (working experience) among those people concerned, while expanding the implementation of internships by improving the content through persified implementation periods and encouraging schools to grant credits for the activities.

(Supporting job finding)

People who provide specialized career consulting ⁴ (specialized consultation on job selection and designing of future work styles) for young people will be utilized in vocational guidance by dispatching them to schools and allocating them at public employment security offices.

A consistent one-on-one support system from job-search preparation to becoming settled in a workplace will be established by allocating job supporters at public employment security offices in coordination with schools. In addition, job offers will be cultivated in coordination with public employment security offices and schools, while providing hands-on training for people in charge of high-school vocational guidance at public employment security offices and other places.

By providing such job information as the content of work, occupational skills development, and the skills that companies seek in young people, support will be provided for them to develop job consciousness and practical occupational skills that match their work-style designs.

(iv) Developing abilities for living in society
(Gaining practical understanding and knowledge of social and economic mechanisms)

In order to promote an accurate understanding of social and economic mechanisms in general, including labor-related laws and the mechanisms of the public pension scheme, learning through an experience-oriented and problem-solving approach and education on the pension system will be provided through coordination between social insurance offices and schools.

(Ability to utilize media)

Measures will be promoted for young people to acquire and improve their ability to independently select and send out information through such information access means as computers and the Internet while recognizing the usability and roles of information and the impact of digitization (media literacy).

(Fostering moral consciousness)

In order to support delinquency prevention and crime damage prevention as well as to foster the moral consciousness of young people, moral education in schools will be improved by effectively utilizing volunteer activities and hands-on activities in cooperation with local people, while promoting such efforts as delinquency prevention classes conducted in coordination with related organizations and local people.

(Safety education)

In order for young people to develop the ability to protect themselves and others from the risks of accidents, such as traffic accidents, disasters, and crimes, safety education will be promoted through school education and community-based activities.

(Volunteer activities)

A social momentum for volunteer activities will be built by conducting publicity and awareness-raising activities on volunteer activities and developing infrastructures for consultation, registration, and mediation in schools and local communities in order to allow all youth to participate in volunteer activities, while carrying out model projects and developing programs concerning such activities.

(Promoting special activities in schools)

Special activities in schools will be promoted to allow students to acquire an independent and practical attitude as a member of a group or society through such group activities as homeroom activities and student council activities.

(Enhancing physical strength)

In order to meet the perse needs of young people and to enhance their physical strength, the physical education classes will be improved by upgrading the instructors, and other measures. Extracurricular sports activities will also be upgraded by utilizing external instructors, such as local sports coaches.

In order to enhance opportunities for young people to get exercise through sports in the community, the release of school facilities such as school athletic fields and gymnasiums, growing of grass on athletic fields, and utilization of parks will be promoted, while developing and utilizing comprehensive community sports clubs and promoting nature activities.

(International exchange activities)

In order to develop the international understanding and international perspectives of high-school students, information will be provided on studying abroad and students will be offered opportunities to experience different cultures and engage in international exchanges, such as study exchange programs.

(perse activities in the community)

Support will be provided to the activities of local organizations and corporate facilities, including schools, social education facilities, welfare facilities, and NPOs on various occasions in order to allow young people to take part in perse activities, such as interchanges with different generations, experiencing agricultural, forestry, and fisheries activities, taking part in nature activities (e.g. environmental activities), and doing sports, based on their own interests so that they can acquire an independent and practical attitude as a member of a group or society.

Home education will also be supported by providing learning opportunities and information on home education to parents of adolescents, and establishing consultation systems for them.

(4) Young adults

In early adulthood, it is important to leave the protection of one's parents, lead an independent life as a member of society, as well as to participate in and contribute to the community. Based on such awareness, the following measures will be implemented for the sound development of young adults.

(i) Improving university education
(Improving the educational content)

Policies of admittance will be established according to the educational philosophy of the respective universities and departments, and in order to evaluate the abilities and aptitude of entrance examinees from multiple viewpoints through sufficient consideration of the relevance to education after entrance, the selection methods will be persified and multiple evaluation scales will be adopted.

Actions will be promoted toward improving the educational content in universities, such as placing importance on liberal arts education and developing specialized occupational skills, so as to develop people with specialized education who can independently adapt to changes and make comprehensive decisions on future problems from a broad perspective.

From the viewpoint of encouraging independent learning by students and ensuring the quality of students at the time of graduation, the efforts of universities to improve educational methods toward enhancing their educational functions will be promoted. These efforts may include introducing small-group instructions and interactive classes, setting an upper limit to the number of courses one can take, implementing strict grade evaluation, such as using the grade point average (GPA) system ⁵ after clearly indicating the grade calculation standards and linking it with recommendation for expulsion, as well as improving the teaching content and methods of instruction.

Among various educational projects that contribute to improving university education, distinctive ones will be selected, and information on them will be widely provided to society, with relevant financial support also to be provided.

In fiscal 2004, a system will be introduced in which the conditions of universities' education and research, organizational operations, and facilities and equipment will be regularly evaluated by evaluation organizations certified by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. By publishing the evaluation results, the universities will receive their social reputations accordingly and will be able to improve themselves based on those results.

(Learning support services)

Efforts will be promoted toward improving the learning support services for students, such as the teaching assistant system in which graduate students provide advice and educational assistance in experiments, laboratory trainings, and exercises to undergraduate students, and the course-related teaching after class hours including the setting up of extra time (office hours) during which university instructors answer questions and provide consultation on the content of their courses from students.

(Increasing high-standard university education)

Establishment of professional graduate schools that develop people who can engage in highly specialized work even in the international arena will be promoted. Also, with the aim of creating internationally competitive, world class universities with high-standard human resources development functions, focused support will be provided to national, public, and private universities in building global research and education bases.

(Measures for lifelong learning)

In order to increase lifelong learning opportunities, universities will be encouraged to adopt special selection standards to provide day/evening programs for workers, to establish evening graduate schools, correspondence graduate/undergraduate schools, and courses provided outside the university (satellite courses), to open extension courses, and to utilize the special register student system and the long-term student system. Establishment of the department of community studies in junior colleges will also be recommended so that they will serve the function of a community college that meets the perse needs of the community.

(Improving Specialized Training Colleges)

In order to meet practical and specialized learning needs in various fields including technology, medical care, and business, actions toward promoting Specialized Training College education, such as surveys of problems facing Specialized Training College education and research/development of new educational methods will be promoted.

(ii) Improving occupational skill development and job-finding support
(Comprehensive support toward occupational independence)

By promoting occupational independence of young people while stimulating their motivation to work, a turnaround will be achieved in the growing trend of unemployment and job-hopping part-timers (referred to as "freeters") among young people in the next three years. To this end, increased opportunities will be secured at public employment security offices for providing the knowledge and skills necessary for work, such as information on various occupations and work styles as well as labor-related laws. Furthermore, establishment of one-stop service centers (centralization of contacts at related organizations; establishment of a comprehensive contact point for initial consultation by consolidating related information) for young people will be promoted through the communities' independent efforts in line with the actual situations, as a new framework for supporting occupational independence of young people.

(Vocational guidance at schools)

In order to allow young people to independently select jobs according to their skills and aptitude, efforts will be made to implement education for developing job consciousness (career education), to provide detailed vocational guidance for inpidual students and for improving the frameworks to that end, and to promote internships (working experience).

(Guidance and advice on job selection)

A consistent one-on-one support system from job-search preparation to becoming settled in a workplace will be established by allocating job supporters at public employment security offices in coordination with schools. In addition, job offers will be cultivated under coordination between public employment security offices and schools. People who provide specialized career consulting (specialized consultation on job selection and designing of future work styles) for young people will be dispatched to schools, and they will also be allocated at public employment security offices. Through coordination between both institutions, support will be provided to young people (particularly, freeters, unemployed university graduates, and people who left their jobs at an early stage) to help them understand their interest and aptitude, become motivated, and select jobs based on the trend of the labor market. With regard to internships (working experience), implementation will be expanded by improving the content of internship programs through persified periods and encouraging schools to grant credits for the activities with the cooperation of industries.

Establishment of students' views on careers and development of their abilities for independently selecting their career options in universities will be promoted to all universities by providing information such as introducing example education courses for building job consciousness (career education).

(Developing abilities)

In coordination with the related organizations including the local governments, companies, and schools, increased opportunities will be provided to young people to develop their abilities in and outside companies. In particular, opportunities for acquiring basic work-related abilities and practical occupational skills will be provided, such as introducing a "human resources development system that combines practical business and education," which will be conducted by combining internships and education/vocational training. In addition, in order to allow young people to further develop and improve their occupational skills according to their work style designs, introduction of a leave system for education and training purposes in companies will be promoted so that young people can take a leave of absence and concentrate on developing their occupational skills.

(Job-finding support)

Expert counselors will conduct career counseling, provide information, and introduce jobs at Student Employment Centers located in each prefecture. Actions will also be taken toward utilizing the trial employment system in which an employer first hires young people for a fixed trial period and then has the option of properly hiring them as regular workers, and toward diffusing year-round recruitment of university graduates who have left their jobs at an early stage.

(Supporting employment in the agricultural, forestry, and fishery industries)

In response to the various desires and abilities of the young people who wish to work in the agricultural, forestry, and fishery industries, information on these industries and jobs available will be provided at the consultation desk, practical training will be provided for acquiring skills necessary, and funds will be lent to start businesses in these industries, thereby supporting young people to find jobs within such industries.

(Supporting business start-ups)

In order to support business start-ups by young people, comprehensive start-up support services will be promoted, and a foundation of frameworks for promoting new businesses will be established, such as placing focus on developing people who will revitalize industry and drive the creation of new businesses, achieving widespread recognition of abolition of the minimum capital system and the content of the amended "angel taxation system" of fiscal 2003 (a special preferential taxation system for stock transfers by inpidual investors for the purpose of promoting investment in venture businesses), and managing a system to partially subsidize funds for start-ups by unemployed people.

(Building a labor market)

In order to lay the foundation of a young labor market based on abilities, a mechanism for evaluating and notarizing practical occupational skills will be established, so that young people can use them for setting goals for their skill development and self-enlightenment and companies can use them as rough recruitment standards.

(Supporting settlement in a workplace)

Companies' efforts in and methods of human resources development will be surveyed and studied, and the study results will be diffused and made known to people, in order to prevent young people from easily leaving their jobs at an early stage and to appropriately support them in acquiring practical occupational skills through accumulated vocational training and work experience according to their work style designs.

(iii) Supporting lifestyle designing and life designing
(Expanding scholarships)

The supporting measures such as scholarships will be expanded so that competent students with the will to receive education can study with a sense of reassurance free of financial worries.

(Supporting residence)

Efforts will be made to utilize the public rental housing system and the loan system so that young households can live independently.

(Offer of information through coordination of employment security offices, social insurance organizations, and educational institutions)

Provision of information and consultation services on the public systems necessary for lifestyle designing will be promoted through appropriate coordination between public employment security offices, social insurance offices, and schools.

(Offer of information and awareness-raising activities on social security, such as pensions)

Wide recognition will be achieved among young people with regard to the significance and role of the social security systems, such as pensions, by conducting public relations activities that offer information on social security via Websites, as well as by distributing booklets on the pension system to those who became adults at the time of the coming-of-age ceremony.

(iv) Promoting participation in the community
(Offer of information and awareness-raising activities on public systems)

A variety of publicity media (such as Internet Websites on the Internet) and various activities/events will be used to offer information and awareness-raising activities in order to stimulate young people's interests in elections, taxes, social security, diplomacy, and defense. At the same time, young people will be called upon to participate in votes, using various means and methods through coordination between the organizations concerned.

(Promoting participation in the policy-making process)

Participation of youth in the policy-making process will be promoted by utilizing a system of selecting members of various councils and round-table conferences from the public, inviting public opinions via the Internet, and actively exposing youth to public opinion hearings. Special consideration will be made in the composition of members of various councils and round-table conferences so that the opinions of youth will be appropriately reflected in measures for their development and in measures in fields where intergenerational agreement is essential.

(Social contribution activities)

A social momentum will be built for volunteer activities by conducting publicity and awareness-raising activities on volunteer activities and developing such infrastructure for consultation, registration, and mediation in schools and local communities in order to allow all youth to participate in volunteer activities, while carrying out model projects and developing programs concerning such activities.

Also, with the aim of having young people acquire broad international perspectives and sensibility, they will be provided with opportunities to participate in cooperation activities in developing countries. Furthermore, young people will be provided with opportunities for international exchanges in order to raise their awareness to live among perse culture and to promote their cooperation in international activities and social activities in the community.