In the course of Japan's economic progress, remarkable changes have occurred in the structure of industry and employment. Workers are in extremely short supply in such occupations as mining, manufacturing and construction, services, transportation and communication, sales, and professional and technical. On the basis of recommendations of the Central Council for Education, the Monbu-Sho (the Ministry of Education) is now considering specific measures for upper secondary education reform. Three policy measures are to be pursued intensively: the reform of the school and course system, the improvement of the methods and content of education, and a revision of the selection process for admission to upper secondary school. These measures have been implemented in 1993, among them the creation of a new course called the "integrated course" in which students have freedom in course selection and career guidance is offered. The Monbu-Sho is investigating the training of technicians in high schools and aims to develop a vocational education plan for the future. Strategies to innovate technical and vocational education systems to cope with the changing demands of new technologies include the following: improvement in instructional strategies and content of information technology subjects; development of an electromechanical engineering course; and incorporation of managerial and system technologies into vocational courses. Measures are also being taken to promote vocational education and improve teacher quality through staff development. (YLB)