I think this is a fascinating subject and one that, if studied in depth, could help solve a number of society's ills.
One of the most important things that should be taught from a tiny age is 'how to think'. Even in western societies a substantial percentage of graduates leave university without having acquired this ability. They are too concerned with learning by rote than learning the whys and the wherefores. It is therefore possible to leave university with a degree and with a lack of reasoning skills.
I am not well versed in the ins and outs of Japanese education and society, however, I was very impressed by a documentary on a Chinese school where the children were very clearly taught respect towards their fellow classmates and the consequences of their behaviour from a very tiny age. This is something which, I feel, is lacking in many families and schools in western societies.
In societies where a large percentage of the population does not have access to a good education, the effects of ignorance are devastating; unnecessary deaths in childhood, misinterpreting events and people's intentions, too much reliance on superstiton and false beliefs to give them answers and an inability to see things from different perspectives which leave them vulnerable to manipulation by other people and governments.
Is it, therefore, only the intellectuals who can reason and analyse and know how to behave? No, I don't think so. In all societies, basic principles of both reasoning and socializing can and should be taught both in the home and at school from a little age and should be a compulsory part of parenting and education. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to reason and analyse and fit into society effectively.