40% of Japanese youth want govt. to make higher education free, survey says

A survey of Japanese citizens ranging in age from 10 to 18 shows 40 percent want the government to put making higher education free a top priority of its policies for children.

The Nippon Foundation conducted the online survey covering 10,000 individuals in March, ahead of the government's launch of the Children and Families Agency on April 1.

Thirty-seven percent said creating a society with no bullying. Protecting children from crime, and thoroughly listening to voices of children in serious need of help both surpassed 30 percent.

Only nine percent of the respondents said they knew well or knew about Japan's new law on the protection of children's human rights and respect of their opinions. The law was passed last year and took effect on April 1.

Thirty percent said they had heard about the law, while 62 percent answered that they had never heard about it.

The Nippon Foundation's Takahashi Eriko said some children wrote in the survey that they were hesitant about requesting the education they want because of the financial situation of their parents.

She said the government should spread the knowledge that children have the right to have their opinions respected, and come up with concrete measures to improve the situation.

Source: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230505_07/