Jan 15 (Japan Times) - Annual two-day unified university entrance examinations began on Saturday, with the first test day marred by a stabbing near the University of Tokyo.
The exams, which also come as the omicron coronavirus variant spreads rapidly across the country, are being held at 677 venues nationwide. The first day is designated for the subjects of Japanese, foreign languages, geography, history and civics, and the second day for mathematics and science.
Applicants for the tests totaled 530,367, down by some 4,800 from the previous year, according to the National Center for University Entrance Examinations.
High school students numbered around 450,000, while the number of applicants who have already graduated from high school stood at a record low of about 70,000.
The unified exams help decide admissions at 864 national, public and private universities and junior colleges.
Source: ANNnewsCH
