Digital Textbooks: Don’t Force Digital Materials to Be Used in Classrooms

Editorial

17:07 JST, April 11, 2026

The most important aspect of textbooks for children is whether they can achieve sufficient learning outcomes. Efforts must be made not to lose the essence of education simply because of the desire to promote digitization.

The government approved at a Cabinet meeting a bill to revise the School Education Law and related laws that would designate digital textbooks as official textbooks to which state screening and free distribution apply. If the bill is enacted into law, digital textbooks will be introduced in stages, starting with elementary school materials in the 2030 academic year.

Boards of education and others will be required to choose from three formats: paper textbooks only, a hybrid of paper and digital materials, or fully digital.

This marks a major transition in learning. The government has long safeguarded an environment where all students in compulsory education receive a certain standard of education uniformly across the country. It is concerning that leaving the choice between paper and digital up to boards of education might lead to disparities in academic achievement.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry on Friday held a meeting of experts to discuss the publication, selection and use of digital textbooks. It is said to be aiming to formulate guidelines by this autumn.

In response, a group of cultural figures and others who discuss learning with printed materials, chaired by Jiro Asada, has released a proposal voicing concerns about digitization.

University of Tokyo Prof. Kuniyoshi Sakai, who specializes in language neuroscience, gave a warning, saying, “It is feared that linguistic skills and the ability to think will weaken, leading to a deterioration in academic performance across all subjects.”

Poet Machi Tawara said: “I have never once found paper textbooks inconvenient. If there’s a budget for going digital, it would be better to use it to raise teachers’ salaries.”

The ministry, which is proceeding with formulating the guidelines, should sincerely listen to these concerns. Rather than holding discussions on the premise that digital materials will be used, a cautious debate is necessary that also considers the negative aspects.

While digital formats have the advantage of incorporating videos and audio materials, paper textbooks are considered more effective for fostering deep thinking and memory retention. As a result, there is a movement overseas to return to paper. Regardless of subject or grade level, digital textbooks should not be used extensively without careful consideration.

Particular attention must be paid to the grade level at which students begin using digital materials. It has been pointed out that pupils in the lower grades of elementary school have immature cognitive processing abilities. Viewing and operating devices with large amounts of information places a significant burden on them. They should be limited to using only paper textbooks.

Children are already immersed in digital media outside of school. Regulations are being introduced in one country after another to restrict minors’ use of social media due to concerns about adverse effects on their physical and mental health.

While the government likely wishes to make up for its delay in digitization, the settings in which digitization is urgently needed are administrative systems and workplaces. But certainly not children’s classrooms.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, April 11, 2026)