Interviewer: Recently, many people are concerned about children’s declining academic performance. Some attribute it to the current policy for more relaxed education which has been reducing the curriculum content.

Tanaka: The best time for people to learn and absorb knowledge is when they are younger than 20. So, they should learn as much as possible at that stage. But people can also learn things as they become necessary. The idea of lifelong learning is taken for granted in Britain. British people go to college and study machine design or something when they need to learn it in their career. During that period, they may have to reduce their work time by half, or even take a temporary leave of absence. In that case, their partners will financially support them. If such a system is established in Japanese society, we won’t have to worry about the decline of children’s academic achievements.

Okada: As I am not so educationally or ethically oriented by nature, I believe that people will study what they need to on their own. Unfortunately, most Japanese don’t seem to think that way.

Tanaka: I don't approve of the conventional education style where students have to cram in too much knowledge. Although I myself take it as an opportunity to acquire broader knowledge, some hate it. Forcing those students to cram could cause them to dislike studying as well. Therefore, moving back to the past educational situation doesn’t seem good. We should make it clear what the essential parts of education are and discuss how to improve the current system. We need to do more than just deciding on the percentage that the curriculum contents should be reduced by.

Okada: In school education, I suppose female students, who will be mothers and raise the next generation, should be the priority. Now, I’m most concerned about women who have reached middle age. They have remarkable talents and abilities. They are vigorous, intelligent, and physically fit. But how much of a presence do they have in the field of natural science study? It’s close to zero. Therefore, in running JT Biohistory Research Hall, we regard children and women as our primary targets and try to attract them by offering a biological exhibits of clothes and so on. 　

Tanaka: That reminds me, women have amazing abilities, such as their excellent pattern recognition. Can’t we somehow make better use of it? If I pass a woman on the road, she’ll remember my face and within half a second say, "Oh, Mr. Tanaka!" Wouldn’t it be a good idea to let them use that talent to capture criminals, for example? Well, that was a joke, but seriously, women do have capacities unique to their gender. Recently, the absolute number of researchers in natural science is declining along with the total population. In such an era, I’d like people with feminine brains to join us. Their parallel way of thinking, which contrasts with masculine focused thinking, may boost scientific development in new directions.