Tokyo, Aug. 25 (Jiji Press)--Japan's education ministry Tuesday unveiled a policy of seeking a record 8,775 billion yen under the government's general-account budget for fiscal 2027 to focus on developing human resources in growth fields, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The figure represents an increase of 49.2 pct from the previous year. The ministry presented the policy at a meeting of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party's Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Division. To boost the country's research capabilities, the ministry is set to double its request for Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research, known as "kakenhi," from the previous year to 455.2 billion yen and increase support for young researchers. Regarding subsidies for educational reforms at public high schools, including efforts to foster science and engineering talent, the ministry plans to submit a request without a specific amount. Aiming to promote reskilling in growth fields, a new subsidy program is set to be introduced for universities that develop educational programs. The request for operating grants to national universities will rise sharply to 1,251.2 billion yen to help offset rising prices and labor costs. In addition, the ministry will launch a demonstration project to explore the use of AI in education, with the goal of improving student learning outcomes and increasing teachers' work efficiency. In response to the growing number of children with foreign nationality, the ministry also plans to support local authorities in establishing preparatory classes that provide basic Japanese-language instruction shortly after students arrive in Japan. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]