Reorganizing Japanese Subjects in High Schools: Remedying Curriculum Guidelines’ ‘Neglect of Literature’ Makes Sense

Editorial

17:19 JST, May 15, 2026

The outcome of fewer students studying literature under the current set of curriculum guidelines was predicted. Questions cannot be dispelled as to why the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry pushed through a reform that faced strong criticism from the outset.

Regarding the next set of curriculum guidelines for high schools, which will be implemented starting in the 2032 academic year, the ministry has presented a proposal to a subcommittee of the Central Council for Education to reorganize Japanese language subjects.

The current set of curriculum guidelines, which was introduced in the 2022 academic year, emphasizes thinking ability and expressive skills, incorporating into each subject the concept of “independent, interactive and deep learning” through discussion and presentation.

Based on this approach, Japanese language subjects are divided in terms of whether they cover “logical and practical” content or “literary” content. Four subjects have been established, such as “Japanese Language (Logic),” which deals with criticism and practical writing, and “Japanese Language (Literature),” which features novels and other literary works. These four are offered as elective subjects.

Under the next set of curriculum guidelines, these subjects will be reorganized once again, according to the proposal. This proposed change is expected to create more opportunities for students to appreciate literary works. It is unusual for subjects established under a set of curriculum guidelines to be abolished in the subsequent revision. This suggests how evident the drawbacks of the newly established subjects were.

To begin with, it makes no sense at all to distinguish between logic and literature in contemporary writing. It is natural to revise the current setup.

Soon after the current set of curriculum guidelines were unveiled, writers and the academic sphere expressed their concern that the new subjects would promote “a neglect of literature.” In fact, most high school students chose “Japanese Language (Logic)” or “Advanced Classics” because what is taught in these subjects is more likely to appear in university entrance exams. In the classroom, there has been a strong trend of opting out of literature, particularly among students who aim to major in the science and engineering fields at universities.

People deepen their thinking and shape their personality through language. High school students particularly should be exposed to a wide variety of writing as this is a formative time. Can they get a well-rounded education under a reform that forces them to choose whether to study logic or literature?

It is time to return to the fundamental purpose of education — nurturing people — and reconsider how important it is to read and write. It is hoped that high schools will not wait for the implementation of the next set of curriculum guidelines, but start exploring right now how to thoroughly teach literature to students.

In its proposal for the upcoming reorganization of Japanese language subjects, the ministry said it is becoming even more important for students to have human-to-human communication in the era of artificial intelligence. The ministry set the goals of helping students foster “the ability to logically express their thoughts and engage in dialogue,” as well as “sensibilities unique to humans.”

There should be no objection to these goals, but the reality is that even the basics — reading, writing and thinking — are already in jeopardy. Many people are reportedly accustomed to reading short text on social media posts and find it difficult to appreciate longer works. These days, some ask AI to summarize text because they find reading too much trouble.

How can a generation who passively browse short videos online be encouraged to become proactive learners? Not only the ministry and high schools, but also households, elementary schools and junior high schools must seriously consider this challenge.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 15, 2026)