Japan: Taboo of Failure

1999 • Directed by

In Japan, where even kindergarten has an entrance exam, education begins in the womb. In this program, social psychologist Dr. Masao Miyamoto, author of Straitjacket Society; Dr. Makoto Shichida, founder of Shichida Children's Academy; the president of Keio University; and others address the true price of making the grade in a society in which only the most intelligent can thrive-or in some cases even survive. Set against the backdrop of an 11-year-old girl's nervous breakdown, topics include the fear of failing, the perceived value of conformity, school violence, and adolescent suicide.