Abstract
The Central Council for Education(CCE) published the report: How Local Administration on Education should Be in September 1998. CCE recommended that Japanese government had been promoting deregulation and decentralization in the field of public education. In this report CCE submitted its reform plan that the allocation of roles among the central government, prefectures and municipalities in the administration, the system of boards of education, including a review of the appointment of board members, the abolishment of the approval of appointments of superintendents, and measures for securing appropriate personnel for superintendents, ensuring the independence and autonomy of schools, such as by improving school operations; reviewing the relationship between boards of education and schools; expanding the discretionary authority of schools; and securing appropriate personnel for the positions of principal and vice-principal, improving of the educational functions of the community and the role to be played by boards of education in developing the local community and promoting regions. This symposium had invited three experts. Associate Professor Shu Kumoo(Niigata University), Professor Ikuyo Kaneko(Keio University). Mr. Hideo Wakatsuki (Superintendent in Shinagawa Ward). Kumoo's presentation title was "By the View of Lifelong-Learning Society Based on Community", Kaneko's title was "Deregulation and decentralization in Japanese education system" and Wakatsuki's title was "Educational reform in Shinagawa". After presentations and comments by three guests, we had an open debate about these topics. During this lively questions and answers, we found some main points like this, ・school choice policy is just tactics, not purpose for school reform ・schools should be encouraered to keep cross contact with family and community ・community school is a new type of public school which is founded by municipalities and has its own governing body ・lifelong learning society based on community should arrange the system to make citizens fresh learners
