News On Japan

Teachers' room discussion recorded accidentally on tablet upsets students

YAMAGUCHI, Nov 18, 2022 (NHK) - A board of education in Yamaguchi Prefecture has apologized that a junior high school student has become unable to attend school since hearing what teachers in a staff room discussed about students.

The conversation was recorded accidentally on a learning tablet.

The board of education in Iwakuni City on Thursday apologized over the incident.

The board explained that a teacher at a public junior high school in the city noticed after class on October 31 that several students had forgotten to take their learning tablets home. The teacher decided to keep the tablets overnight on a desk in the teachers' room.

What the teacher did not realize was that one of the tablets had its audio recording function left on. The tablet recorded the conversations among teachers, without any of them being aware.

The next day, the teacher returned this tablet and all the other ones to the students.

The student whose tablet had accidentally made the recording realized that the teachers talked about student guidance and other personal information or their feelings about specific students.

The student sent the audio recording to a number of classmates. ...continue reading

Source: yab山口ニュース

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Typhoon No. 7 (Mekkhala) strengthened into a very strong typhoon east of the Philippines by noon on June 22, with a central pressure of 940 hectopascals and maximum sustained winds of 45 meters per second, as forecasts showed the storm approaching Okinawa later this week while very moist air from the typhoon threatens to activate the rainy-season front over western and eastern Japan.

Japan will begin a new system on June 23 to sell paint and thinner directly from manufacturers to construction firms and other businesses, aiming to ease supply bottlenecks and curb price increases as worsening conditions in the Middle East make such materials harder to obtain.

Mosquitoes are appearing earlier than usual this year, raising fears of a major summer outbreak as experts warn that warm May weather and repeated light rain have created ideal breeding conditions across residential areas.

Bear attacks and sightings are increasing across Japan, with multiple people injured on June 17 and experts warning that bears are becoming more accustomed to human environments, potentially leading to more dangerous and unpredictable encounters in the years ahead.

JR Central and JR West on June 17 announced pricing and service details for the new private-room seating that will be introduced on the Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen from October, creating a new top-tier class above the existing Green Car service.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Education NEWS

A certification exam testing knowledge and skills related to ninjas was held in Koka, Shiga Prefecture, a city known as one of Japan's historic ninja centers.

The Tokyo Fire Department has called for greater public cooperation with emergency medical services following a rise in incidents involving interference with ambulance crews, including cases in which paramedics have been assaulted while carrying out rescue operations.

The University of Tokyo and TOPPAN Holdings announced the establishment of the AI Innovation Research Center, a new initiative aimed at advancing research and development for the practical application of artificial intelligence in society.

As bear sightings continue at an unusually high pace across Akita Prefecture, a veteran wildlife photographer who has spent nearly 30 years observing and photographing Asian black bears says the animals are appearing more frequently, moving closer to human settlements, and increasingly adapting their behavior to survive.

The Blue Angels, the cheerleading squad of Joto High School's support and cheering club, are winning over audiences with their sparkling smiles and dynamic performances.

A group of university students in Okinawa is working to combat menstrual poverty and improve understanding of menstruation through educational programs aimed at both children and adults, addressing a problem that affects roughly one in three young women in Japan.

Japan, which records the shortest average sleep duration among OECD countries, is launching new efforts to tackle widespread sleep deprivation, including the opening of specialized sleep disorder departments and programs aimed at improving children's sleep habits through sports and physical activity.

Birthrates in neighboring Kyoto and Shiga prefectures have moved in opposite directions, with experts pointing to housing costs, commuting convenience, and stable employment as key factors shaping where young families choose to live.