This issue of the Economist features a very important problem even for Japan according to my views.

 

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 WHEN education fails to keep pace with technology, the result is inequality. Without the skills to stay useful as innovations arrive, workers suffer—and if enough of them fall behind, society starts to fall apart.

 

Today robotics and artificial intelligence call for another education revolution. This time, however, working lives are so lengthy and so fast-changing that simply cramming more schooling in at the start is not enough. People must also be able to acquire new skills throughout their careers.

 

 

It is easy to say that people need to keep learning throughout their careers. The practicalities are daunting.

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The Economist picks up for example Massive open online courses (MOOCs) as a good example to cope with this problem.

 

Universities in Japan have big problems to recruit students.  Numbers of 18 years olders are shrinking (The problem of 2018).

 

Maybe the only and right way for universities in Japan might be to prepare for "Lifelong learning" .

 

Pushing people into ever-higher levels of formal education at the start of their lives is not the way to cope. Just 16% of Americans think that a four-year college degree prepares students very well for a good job.