At the Session 37 on 29th March – University Presidents’ Dialogue: The Future of Education,  Katsuichi UCHIDA (Vice President for International Affairs,Waseda University) commented that Japan needs innovative talents and social structure reform in response to the population structural change in Japan.

UCHIDA mentioned that the Japanese population has roughly 25% of people above the age of 65. He said that the Japan needs to create an environment that is beneficial to the female workforce to expand the labour market. 

UCHIDA added that the lack of a young labour force in Japan is bad enough, but it is a much worse situation in the rural areas since the majority of young people that graduate from the rural areas would move in towards the bigger cities in hope for a better life.