Agenda of the Economic Education Summit

Purpose of the Summit

Experts from various organizations working on the promotion of economic and financial education will gather to discuss issues such as the following, thereby providing an impetus to the full-scale introduction of economic education in Japan.

Issues to be discussed:
1.Necessity of economic education
2.Japan's and U.S. efforts toward economic education
3.Future agenda of economic education in Japan
4.Policy decision making and economic education

* Financial education and other related fields will also be discussed.

Summit Overview

1. Date and time: Saturday, July 9, 2005; 14:00 - 18:30

2. Venue: Royal Hall, Akasaka Prince Hotel, Tokyo

3. Language: English and Japanese (with simultaneous interpretation)

4. Fee: Free but prior registration is required

5. Agenda:

14:00 - 14:05	Opening Address
	Heizo Takenaka, Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy
14:05 - 14:45	Session I: Necessity of Economic Education
	This session will explain the importance of cultivating an economic mind-set in elementary and secondary education even for those who will not specialize in economics in the future. The need for financial education and consumer education in the context of economic education will also be discussed. Opening Speech 1: "Financial System Reform and Financial Education" (tentative title) (10 min)     Tatsuya Ito; Minister of State for Financial Services Opening Speech 2: "Goals of Financial Education, and Financial Policy" (tentative title) (10 min)     Toshihiko Fukui; Governor, Bank of Japan Keynote Speech: "Educational Reform and Economic Education" (tentative title) (20 min)     Yasuhiko Torii; Chairman, Central Education Council
14:45 - 16:15	Session II: Current Status and Issues of Economic Education: Japan-U.S. Comparison
	This session will introduce forward-looking approaches to economic education that have taken in the U.S., as well as efforts being pursued by Japan's public and private organizations. Keynote Speech: "The Necessity of Economic Education,"     Soichi Shinohara; Professor, Department of Economics, Doshisha University (15 min) Keynote Speech: "Economic Education in the Untied States"     William B. Walstad; John T. and Mable M. Hay Professor of Economics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (15 min)
<10-minutes break>
	Panel Discussion I (50 minutes) "Economic Education: U.S. Experiences and Japanese Approaches" Moderator: Soichi Shinohara, Professor, Doshisha University Panelists: William B. Walstad; Professor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Toshiaki Tachibanaki; Professor, Faculty of Economics, Kyoto University / President, Japanese Economic Association Michio Yamaoka; Professor, Waseda University Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies / Director, Waseda University Institute for Economics Education Takao Yumoto; Director-General, Central Council for Financial Services Information / Director-General, Public Relations Department, Bank of Japan
16:15 - 17:15	Session III: Efforts toward Economic Education and Related Issues-Views of Educators
	This session will discuss specific measures and problems to be overcome in promoting economic education in schools. Panel Discussion II (50 minutes) "Efforts toward Economic Education and Related Issues-Views of Educators in Japan" Moderator: Takenori Inose; Professor, Faculty of Education, Hirosaki University Panelists: Akira Arai; Teacher, Tokyo Metropolitan Nishi High School Toshikazu Saegusa; Teacher, Meguro Dai-ni Junior High School Akihide Osugi; School Inspector, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Tadashi Yokoyama; Principal, Tokyo Metropolitan Hinodai High School / Member; Council for Financial and Economic Education, Financial Services Agency
<10-minutes break>
17:15 - 18:30	Session IV: Policy Decision Making and Economic Education
	This session will focus on the expected role of economic education and specific measures to promote it, in order to achieve a better, democratic process of economic policymaking, with special emphasis on the need for social studies in economic education. Keynote Speech: "Economics and Policymaking,"     Randall S. Kroszner; Professor of Economics, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business (15 minutes) Panel Discussion III (50 minutes) "Policymaking Process and Economic Education" Moderator: Heizo Takenaka; Minister of State for Economic and Fiscal Policy Panelists: Akio Fujii; Editorial Writer, Economic News Department, Nihon Keizai Shimbun, Inc. Randall S. Kroszner; Professor, University of Chicago Graduate School of Business Yasuhiko Torii; Chairman, Central Education Council Takao Komine; Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, Hosei University Chairman's Summary (10 minutes) "Declaration on the Launch of Full-Fledged Economic Education" (tentative title)
18:30    Closing