Students with their computers at School. File. Photo by PAUL MILLER / EPA
May 20 (Asia Today) — Japan plans to revise elementary and middle school moral education courses to address ethical decision-making and responsibility in the age of generative artificial intelligence, according to reports Wednesday.
The proposed reforms would move beyond treating AI as simply a learning or technology tool and instead focus on questions of human judgment, accountability and responsible use.
Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported Tuesday that the Ministry of Education presented a proposal to a Central Council for Education panel outlining revisions to information ethics education in elementary and middle schools.
The ministry plans to include lessons on value judgments, responsibility and ways of living in the AI era in the next national curriculum guidelines, which are scheduled to take effect in fiscal year 2030. Japan revises its national curriculum standards roughly once every decade.
Japanese education officials expressed concern that students are increasingly unable to distinguish reliable information from false or AI-generated content. Authorities also warned that younger children can easily spread misinformation, harm others online or become involved in criminal activity through simple use of digital platforms and social media.
The ministry said information ethics education should evolve beyond basic warnings about internet safety and instead address how humans should make decisions in an AI-driven society.
The proposal includes classroom discussions on emotional impulses that lead people to continue online harassment even when they know it is wrong. Other examples encourage students to confront issues where right and wrong are not easily distinguished, such as the spread of uncertain or misleading information.
Students would also be asked to consider questions such as how far AI should be used in homework assignments, writing projects and creative work.
Japan also plans to expand broader information education. Officials are considering reorganizing the current middle school “Technology and Home Economics” subject into a new “Information and Technology” course. Elementary schools may also add a dedicated information studies section within integrated learning programs.
Because AI technology evolves rapidly, the ministry also proposed regularly updating supplemental teaching materials in line with Japan’s four-year textbook review cycle.
South Korea has also expanded digital literacy education under its revised 2022 national curriculum and distributed AI ethics materials through regional education offices. However, many schools still focus primarily on coding, digital skills and educational technology tools rather than broader ethical questions surrounding AI use.
Japan’s proposed reforms raise broader questions for South Korea and other countries about how schools should teach students where AI use becomes inappropriate, who bears responsibility for AI-generated content and how to prevent online harm in digital environments.
Experts say education in the AI era increasingly requires schools to address issues such as misinformation, plagiarism, hate speech and cyberbullying alongside technical skills as generative AI becomes embedded in student life through homework, writing, image creation and social media content.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
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Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260520010005668
