Hiraizumi's views have infuriated many of his countrymen and no sooner had his plan been publicly outlined than critics began to surface.
Chief among them has been Shoich Watanabe, professor of linguistics at Sophia University, who blasted the proposal in the monthly Shokun.
Watanabe argues that the schools should continue to give "Japanese students potental rather than visible ability" in languages.
With this basic foundation, Watanabe maintains, the students can easily refine their linguistic skills later if they need to travel abroad or "marry foreigners."
