Japanese Brokers Hold Financial Education Events for Kids

Tokyo, Aug. 20 (Jiji Press)–Major Japanese securities companies are providing elementary school students with opportunities to learn about the economy and financial systems during the summer holiday period. At an event held by SMBC Nikko Securities Inc. at its branch in Tokyo’s Nihonbashi business district Wednesday, eight children, accompanied by their parents, studied how money works and the roles of securities companies through quizzes. They checked the securities codes of listed companies and the rates of rises and drops of their stock prices, and toured the branch. “I didn’t know much about stocks, but I think I understood a little (about them) through a game” at the event, an 11-year-old student said with a smile. “We have offered the event as a gateway to financial and economic education” for children, SMBC Nikko Executive Officer Naka Orita said. “I hope it will be an opportunity for children to become interested” in how money works, Orita said. SMBC Nikko launched the event in 2006. This year’s event started July 23 and is scheduled to be held during the period until Aug. 21 at more than 80 branches of the company nationwide. Also on Wednesday, Nomura Securities Co. held an event at its Kichijoji branch in Musashino, Tokyo, in which 14 pairs of parents and children studied the mechanism of imports through a dice game. This year’s event, themed on foreign exchange, is being held on the largest scale ever, taking place at about 55 venues around the country, including branches of the company and partner banks, and bringing together about 1,600 pairs in total. At the Kichijoji branch, children participating in the game played the role of the president of a stationery company that procures goods from abroad, learning about foreign exchange rate fluctuations. They played importing goods as foreign exchange rates fluctuated each time the dice was rolled, and studied how the yen’s rises and falls affected profits. “The foreign exchange rate mechanism is complicated, but it was good to be able to learn about it through the game,” said a fifth grader, 11, who won the game. “We would be happy if children learn about the foreign exchange rate mechanism, which is not familiar to them, like a game and use the knowledge they gain for their asset formation in the future and to study the connection between the economy and society,” the head of the Kichijoji branch said. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]