| May 23 | Education panel urges Japanese colleges to reach outside |
| The nation's universities should try to rejuvenate themselves by collaborating with overseas institutions to offer joint degrees and attracting more foreign teachers and students to nurture global talent among Japanese, a government panel said in proposals released Wednesday. (Japan Times) |
| May 21 | Yokohama clears out nursery waiting lists |
 Officials at Yokohama City Hall said Monday the city has reduced the number of children on nursery school waiting lists to zero from 179 as of April 1, meeting its 2010 target of doing so in three years. (Japan Times  ) |
| May 20 | Govt links acts of bullying to criminal charges |
| The education ministry has compiled a list of bullying acts that should be reported promptly to police, and has communicated this list to prefectures and boards of education of large cities through an official notification. (Yomiuri) |
| May 19 | Council proposes lowering age for English education |
| An expert panel on education will recommend that the government lower the grade when primary school students start studying English from the fifth year and make it a regular subject for fifth and sixth graders, sources said. (Yomiuri) |
| May 17 | Bear shot dead after entering school in Ishikawa |
 A bear was shot dead after it wandered into a school in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, on Thursday. (Japan Today ) |
| May 17 | Employment for new graduates continues improving in Japan |
 The employment situation for new graduates from four-year universities and other schools in Japan has been improving, a government survey revealed Friday. (Jiji Press ) |
| May 15 | Japan to allow families on welfare to save for university fees |
| Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare decided Tuesday to allow families on welfare to save for university admission fees for their children. (Jiji Press) |
| May 13 | 13% of middle-aged men quit jobs for taking care of parents |
| Middle-aged men are quitting paid work to care for elderly parents in increasing numbers, a survey by a research institute showed Sunday. (Kyodo) |
| May 13 | 1-year training proposed for principals-to-be |
| Teachers aspiring to be principals or deputy heads of public schools will have to undergo a yearlong training program at a teachers graduate school to qualify as administrators, according to a set of proposals compiled by a task force. (Yomiuri) |
| May 12 | Japan 31st in Mothers' Index rankings |
 Japan ranked 31st in the Mothers' Index rankings of best and worst places to be a mother complied by international nongovernmental organization Save the Children. (Jiji Press ) |
| May 12 | New rules set for resolving custody in divorces |
| New rules have been established over the forced separation of children from one parent for the purpose of handing them over to the other parent in divorces in a practice called direct enforcement. (Yomiuri) |
| May 10 | Yamanashi high school soccer club members assault younger students in shower |
 Seven third-grade high school students have been accused of assaulting younger students at a Yamanashi high school, media reported Thursday. (Japan Today ) |
| May 10 | Income limit planned for tuition-free high school education |
| Japan will introduce an income limit for households that use a program for free public high school tuition, education minister Hakubun Shimomura said Friday. (Jiji Press) |
| May 10 | Long troubled by school bullying, Japan now eyes zero tolerance |
 Japanese responded to record numbers of severe bullying cases last year, prompting a national outcry and calls for legislation. But a proposed bill doesn't address schools' intense culture of conformity, critics say. (csmonitor.com ) |
| May 09 | Fukushima activist fights fear and discrimination based on radiation |
 Although tens of thousands of people fled their homes in Fukushima Prefecture following the March 2011 reactor meltdowns, many, including children, still remain. (Japan Times ) |
| May 04 | Deregulation of child-care services to be moved forward |
| The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will move up a plan to encourage businesses to develop authorized child-care services to reduce the number of children on day-care center waiting lists, a government regulatory reform panel has said. (Yomiuri) |
| May 03 | Osaka high-school teacher disciplined for hooking on the side |
 The Osaka Prefectural Board of Education on Thursday announced a six-month suspension for a 29-year-old female high-school teacher who was working as a prostitute in her off hours. (Tokyo Reporter ) |
| May 02 | Minister eyes scholarship for short-term overseas study |
| Education minister Hakubun Shimomura unveiled Wednesday a plan for the government to provide scholarship to help high school graduates take part in short-term overseas study programs that would fill the period after graduation if universities shift their admissions to fall. (Kyodo) |
| May 02 | Mother of suicide boy files slander charge against 3 bullies |
 Three high school boys are to be charged with slandering a classmate who committed suicide as a result of bullying in Kawanishi, Hyogo Prefecture. (Japan Today ) |
| May 02 | Silence on corporal punishment at Osaka school |
 Teachers, students and guardians appear not to have argued against corporal punishment at the high school in this western Japan city where a 17-year-old student committed suicide after receiving physical punishment from his basketball teacher, a report by a team of lawyers said Wednesday. (Jiji Press ) |
| May 01 | Mass food poisoning outbreak reported at elementary school in Fukuoka |
 Police and health officials in Fukuoka said Tuesday that 149 students from Muromi elementary school have suffered food poisoning since Saturday. Fuji TV reported that the students were experiencing fever, nausea and diarrhea. (Japan Today ) |
| May 01 | Foreign nurses still facing high hurdles |
| Hurdles are still too high for foreign nurses to be formally accepted to work in Japan. The government has accepted nurses from Indonesia and the Philippines as "candidates" to work in Japan based on bilateral economic partnership agreements, which allow countries that sign them to engage in economic exchanges, including that of human resources. (Yomiuri) |
| May 01 | Japan may accept more highly skilled foreign workers |
| The government is considering increasing the number of foreign engineers and researchers accepted into the country by units of 100,000, according to Yasutoshi Nishimura, senior vice minister at the Cabinet Office. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 30 | 40 foreigners tapped to receive government's spring decorations |
| Former French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and former Namibian Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab and Edgardo Angara, a former Philippine Senate president and current senator, are among 40 foreign nationals named as recipients of Japan's annual spring decorations, the government said Monday. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 28 | Pressure grows for the nation's housewives |
 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's April 19 National Press Club speech about boosting women's participation in the workforce has been covered extensively in the domestic and foreign media since it signals a sea change in the Liberal Democratic Party's view of women's role in society. (Japan Times ) |
| Apr 27 | Corporal punishment meted out by 840 teachers so far: survey |
 A government survey says that 840 public school teachers used corporal punishment during a 10-month period starting in April 2012 - more than twice the 404 cases tallied in all of fiscal 2011. (Japan Times ) |
| Apr 27 | School roads get brighter visuals to boost safety |
 Work continues nationwide to mark school roads in green and other colors, in the wake of a fatal car accident on a road leading to a school in Kameoka, Kyoto Prefecture, last April. (Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 27 | Japan tsunami boat found in California to be reunited with home city |
 A small, battered and barnacle-encrusted boat that recently washed ashore in California has been traced to a Japanese city that was devastated by the March 2011 tsunami. (guardian.co.uk ) |
| Apr 26 | Natl test aims to gauge students' weaknesses |
| The latest national achievement test for sixth-grade primary and third-year middle school students aimed in part to assay students' comprehension in areas that were cited as weak points in the past. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 25 | Russian parents want ban on 'Death Note' manga series |
 A group of parents in the central Russian region of Ural called on President Vladimir Putin Thursday to ban the "Death Note" manga series. (Jiji Press ) |
| Apr 24 | Plan to limit fertility treatment causing stir |
| The government's recent decision to discuss limiting public aid for fertility treatment to women aged 39 or younger, as well as how often aid can be received is causing concern among people undergoing such treatment. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 24 | Emperor publishes entry in encyclopedia on fish species in Japan |
| Emperor Akihito and co-authors of an encyclopedic work on fish species in Japan celebrated publication of the latest illustrated set of volumes at an event held in Tokyo's Kasumigaseki district on April 22. (Asahi) |
| Apr 23 | LDP looks to double JET Program's ranks in three years |
 The number of teachers hired for the Japan Exchange and Teaching Program would be doubled in three years under a proposal drafted by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party to boost Japan's global competitiveness and nurture international talent.
(Japan Times ) |
| Apr 22 | In Sapporo, one in every 2,800 conflicted about gender: survey |
| One out of about 2,800 people in Sapporo is suffering from gender identity disorder, according to a survey compiled recently by a medical group in Hokkaido. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 19 | Japan to empty nursery waiting list in 5 yrs: Abe |
| Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday the country will reduce the number of children on nursery waiting lists to zero by fiscal 2017 ending in March 2018. (Jiji Press ) |
| Apr 19 | Japanese students make world's biggest roll cake |
 Confectionery college school students celebrated as they made the world's longest roll cake in Japan. (Daily Mail ) |
| Apr 19 | 79% support 6-day school week |
| As much as 79 percent of the public hopes six-day school weeks will resume, while 84 percent support making ethics a school subject, according to a Yomiuri Shimbun survey. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 18 | Musician has 36 years' experience as therapy-dog trainer |
 For Toru Oki, 61, his two titles -- musician and therapy-dog trainer -- are one and the same.
"Music is my job, whereas therapy is my lifework," he said, before adding that both are borderless activities. (Kyodo ) |
| Apr 18 | Survey: Japanese research slipping |
| Japanese national research institutions slipped in global rankings based on the number of citations in academic papers over the past decade, according to the results of a survey conducted by Thomson Reuters. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 17 | Improving teaching at universities |
| The University of Tokyo seeks to improve the quality of teaching methods at Japanese universities by introducing a new course for graduate students. This seemingly small but potentially important new direction marks a shift in priorities from research skills to teaching ability. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 16 | Aung San Suu Kyi speaks at Kyoto University |
 Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi has stressed the important role women can play in society. (NHK ) |
| Apr 16 | Todai, Kyoto University eye reforming entrance exams |
| Two of the nation's top universities--the University of Tokyo and Kyoto University--have decided to reform their entrance exams to cope with students' changing qualities and a sense of crisis of being left behind globally in securing quality students. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 14 | Firms to promote e-books at libraries |
| A joint project to distribute electronic books to public libraries nationwide is set to be launched by the public and private sectors. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 13 | Chiba Univ. to delay early admission |
| Chiba University has decided to delay the admission period for its early-enrollment program for high school students by six months from April to October, according to sources. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 12 | Asia University Rankings 2013 - Japan takes Asian crown |
 Japan has been named Asia's top country for higher education and research in Times Higher Education's first Asia University Rankings. (timeshighereducation.co.uk ) |
| Apr 11 | Abe urges review of textbook screening standards |
 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for a review of the school textbook screening guideline to better reflect the ideas, such as patriotism, contained in the revised basic education law. (NHK ) |
| Apr 11 | Earliest fish stews were cooked in Japan during last ice age, experts say |
 In the chilly final years of the last ice age, hunting communities in Japan may have served up warm fish stews of salmon and shellfish for dinner. (nbcnews.com ) |
| Apr 09 | Students run riot at Universal Studios Japan |
 Students from Kobe University have been repeatedly causing trouble at Universal Studios Japan (USJ) in Osaka since last year, including capsizing a boat on purpose, Fuji News Network reported. (News On Japan ) |
| Apr 09 | Abe calls for practical English teaching in education system reform |
 Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called on Monday for more practical English-language education as the ruling party's advisory panel submitted to him a set of education reform proposals, including a requirement of the Test of English as a Foreign Language for entry to and graduation from public universities. (Kyodo ) |
| Apr 09 | School board reverses policy on pro-Pyongyang students after protests |
| The Machida City Board of Education in Tokyo has reversed a decision by the city to exclude students at a pro-Pyongyang school from receiving personal safety alarms because of Japan's tense political relationship with North Korea. (Kyodo) |