For the last half-century, Japan helped lead the world in consumer electronics and engineering. Yet in a recent survey, only 20% of Japanese junior high students wanted a career related to science — compared to an international average of 50% — even though Japan’s elementary and junior high school had the fifth-highest math scores in the entire world.

Google would like to help bridge this gap between ability and potential by making it easier for aspiring coders in Japan to take the first steps towards careers in computer science. We’ve partnered with a Japanese non-profit specializing in youth education called CANVAS on a new program to give 25,000 students across the country a better understanding of computer science and help prepare them for careers in IT-related fields.

[Image] Source: ww.raspberrypi.org Following a similar project we launched earlier this year in the United Kingdom, we are also donating 5,000 credit-card sized Raspberry Pi computers for students to use at workshops and participating schools across the country. Raspberry Pi was designed to allow kids to learn computers from scratch. The basic interfaces are already installed in the small device, and it can be connected to regular TVs at home. More than 1,000,000 Raspberry Pis have been used around the world.

[Image] Ms Nanako Ishido, CANVAS [Image] Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman

















The workshops with CANVAS are open to any school wanting to take part in the program (they just need to apply on the project site). The goal is to get students and teachers more excited about coding and see it as something with real world applications that can improve lives - not just a means to better grades in the classroom. We will also be training teachers, parents, and other non-profits interested in teaching kids how to use Raspberry Pi.

Coding is one of the easiest ways to do things that are amazing and, thanks to the Internet, have the potential for global impact. That’s what we’re hoping this program will achieve: Kids taking better advantage of their education to pursue their dreams in a new way.

Posted by Ko Fujii, Public Policy and Government Affairs, Google Japan, and Chris Busselle, Google.org