Prof. Yuto Kitamura explores the hidden crisis within Japan's highly ranked education system, focusing on the alarming rise of school non-attendance (futoko) and social withdrawal (hikikomori). He explains that while Japanese students excel academically, they rank among the lowest globally in self-efficacy. To address this, Kitamura advocates for the creation of "ibasho", which are safe and accepting spaces that offer alternatives to rigid traditional schooling. He connects the youth crisis to broader socio-economic issues, including weakened community ties, inflexible corporate hiring practices, and an educational culture that heavily penalizes failure. While supporting new inquiry-based learning models, he warns that curriculum changes must not leave under-resourced students behind. Kitamura urges educators and policymakers to increase systemic flexibility, provide robust safety nets, reduce the administrative burden on teachers, and ultimately trust young people to navigate their own paths.

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