The Center for Early Childhood Development, Education, and Policy Research (Cedep) of the University of Tokyo held a symposium with guest speakers, Professor Steven Barnett (Director of National Institute for Early Education Research) and Miyo Taguma (Senior Policy Analyst, Early Childhood and Schools Division, OECD).

Investment to early childhood education is considered necessary for establishing and maintaining a rich society. However, it is widely believed that public investment to it is inefficient. This keynote speech suggests a possible way out of the "paradox" of early childhood education policy, examining cases and statistics in the US.