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SECTION 2 - PAGE t- PLA1NDEALER - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, IM4 Nation/World Japanese express, concern ̂about pressure on youngsters to excel By United Pi?«sTnti»rn»Mnnal TOKYO -- Their economic miracle could have prompted the Japanese to relax and enjoy the fruits of prosperity. But instead it is driving them to compete even more fiercely among themselves for success. So they have become increas- ! ingly obsessive about steering ; their children into the pres&gious r schools and universities ttfat lead i to top jobs in government and [ business. Many Japanese officials, among ' them Prime Minister Yasuhiro r Nakasone, have lately expressed :'Concept* cars in forefront I of research L I By Jan A. Zverina I* UPI Business Writer NEW YORK -- Quality and effi- ciency are two words commonly p heard in this new age of auto K technology where intense com- petition reigns within the ranks of *• domestics and imports alike. •! All major automakers have ac- '[ celerated their development and research programs in efforts to stay in the passing lane of technology. "Concept" cars, * . d i s p l a y e d a t a u t o s h o w s throughout the nation, are rolling '> testSeds for innovations that could »! find a place in the cars of tomor- »' row. < Computers and Electronics s This field will see more growth than any other area between now £ and the 1990s as computers and < electronic sensors take control of $ f u n c t i o n s p r e v i o u s l y r u n o f f £ engine compression or separate '• electrical motors. •' * General Motors has developed / power steering and brake systems i for use within the next year or so \ that do not depend on the car's £ engine for power, thereby reduc- K ing the power drag on the motor. r Ford has been working with elec- r tronically controlled power steer- f ing that constantly adjusts the * "road feer^ccording to spefed. 4 Auto navigation designed to aid ! a motorist in finding a tlestination by use of satellites and a roadmap \ display on a CRT screen in the car's instrument panel, could be in production as early as 1987 or ; 1988, GM says. I Voice recognition systems pro- ; grammed to activate functions such as the radio or wipers by the I. sound of the driver's voice are be- l ing evaluated on Ford's Concept ' 100 car. Other innovations: a I keyless entry system permits the ; driver to unlock the doors by - remote control or sound the horn I to warn off intruders or locate thi * car in a parking lot, and a sonar * detection system to warn drivers I of an object while backing up. I By next year Chrysler products 'Jl will incorporate a host of technological improvements, I among them a "smart" instru- l ment cluster developed jointly by * Chrysler and Motorola. It uses I microprocessors to gauge speed, I oil, gas and water readings. The • odometer function has a tamper- * proof, non-volatile memory. The * cluster also can be used for export t models because metric readings I are obtained with a touch of a but- * ton. concern that the pressure on y o u n g s t e r s i s b e c o m i n g unbearable. They have proposed reforms aimed at reducing the rigors._of education. But the families still impose heavy demands on their kids. An example of this extraor­ dinary focus on achievement is the so-called juku, a special cram course that prepares children bet­ ween the ages of 1 and 3 to enter kindergarten. . The infants, who attend the classes with their mothers, are drilled in repeating phrases by rote -- the theory being that the training will contribute to their ability to face Japan's tough ex­ amination b>sicm. through which students climb the educational ladders to successful careers. Some mothers, who live elsewhere in the country, tem­ porarily leave their husbands and move here in order to be with their children enrolled in the course. The curriculum also includes lec­ tures for mothers on how to discipline their offspring. Teruaki Yamagishi, its direc­ tor, explains that Keiokai is not only valuable for exposing infants to the trials they will experience later, but introduces them to an elite atmosphere that will in­ fluence their lives. He notes that Keiokai'? graduates include pro­ minent corporate and government figures. The head of a similar establish­ ment, Shingakai, emphasizes that very young children cannot develop the skills necessary to pass exams, such as physical strength and the ability to concen­ trate, by playing at home with their brothers, sisters and friends. He also stresses the importance of teaching mothers to guide their kids, estmating that parental pressure is the single biggest fac­ tor in the success of students. The key to Japanese education is not to learn, but to achieve the exanfftiation scores that will ad­ mit a youngster into a first-rate university. For^efexcandidates are judged by, their universities rather than their grades. At the peak of the educational pyramid is Tokyo University, whose graduates can look forward to guaranteed futures. About 40 percent of the chief executive of­ ficers of Japan's 5,000 leading companies are Tokyo University graduates. Critics of the system contend that it stifles independent thinking and innovation, besides putting youngsters under tremendous ner­ vous strain. The growing rates of suicide and juvenile delinquency among students are seen as reac­ tions against the pressure. Psychologists have been par- "\ ticularly critical, arguing that Japan's educational "pressure cooker" is producing robots without any sense of their own jn?- dividuality and little regard for human relationships. Interestingly, an opinion survey conducted not long ago shpwed that 60 percent of the Japanese public is dissatisfied with the system, and would welcome reforms designed to make ex­ aminations more realistic. v EVERYTHING MUST GOl BARRINGTON LOCATION ONLYI Don f m»ss Sundance Dealer 's Super Photo Sale S « r * w T l t f T f f « coupon be low Enlargements Copyprmt s . an d or* . , on sa le Coupons m store while they last H u r r y ' SUPER COUPON FILM DEVELOPING $199 24 exp 36 exp $399 5J95 •Coupon t?_i<pi 1 os Sop* 9 1984 •Not valid with ony othei oMei •Coupon must be fastened" to front of incoming envelope AUTHORIUD I SUNDANCE ' PHOTO OtAllR PHOTO FORUM INC r > tlO-CN. FRONT SI. 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