| Date | 26 November 2010 |
|---|---|
| Place | Hotel New Otani |
| Language | English and Japanese (consecutive translation) |
| Par ticipants | 22 (EU member state embassies, MEXT
representatives) |
Mr Suzuki, first elected to the House of Councillors in 2001, is now serving his second term. Since taking office as the Senior Vice-Minister of MEXT, he explained that he has promoted the establishment of 'community schools' in Japan and the participation of local people in the management process of these schools. He also touched on the concept of 'the public new commons' which former Prime Minister Hatoyama advocated as a goal of this office and indicated that the expansion of community schools would contribute to the goal in its own way. Following his remarks, several views on Japanese civil society were exchanged between Mr Suzuki and the participants.