| May 16 | Promoting computer literacy in Japan's disaster-stricken areas |
| Eighty per cent of businesses in Kamaishi city in Iwate Prefecture are believed to have resumed operations, some in temporary facilities. It is one of the coastal areas damaged by last year's earthquake and tsunami that is now showing signs of recovery. (Channel NewsAsia) |
| May 15 | England's schools should learn from Japan, says Twigg |
| England's schools should take lessons from Japan and the Far East on how to improve performance, the shadow education secretary says. (BBC) |
| May 13 | Hello Work branches to be set up at universities |
| The government plans to set up Hello Work job placement branches at universities to support college students who have been struggling to find jobs amid a stagnant economy. (Japan Times) |
| May 13 | Parents awarded Y12 mil after child injured smashing milk bottles together at school |
| Back in 2008, at an Osaka elementary school, there was an incident involving a 3rd grade student who smashed two bottles of milk together during lunch time. As a result, the bottles shattered sending a shard of glass into the child's eye and leaving him disabled. It's certainly a terrible accident but what followed had turned the public's sympathy into outrage. (Japan Today) |
| May 13 | Though spooked by new threats, Japanese accept mass killers |
| Before March last year, if you'd asked a child in Japan about nuclear radiation you would probably have been told about Godzilla, the monster powered by mutations caused by radiation, or Tetsuwan Atomu, aka the nuclear-powered robot Astro Boy. Not any more. (Japan Times) |
| May 10 | Divorced parents lack ways to meet kids |
| The welfare ministry has asked local governments to encourage meetings between divorced parents and their children by arranging and overseeing such encounters, but little progress has been made. (Yomiuri) |
| May 10 | Otaku anthropology: exploring Japan's unique subculture |
| Patrick Galbraith wants you to know that otaku isn't just Japanese for "nerd." The Alaska-born ethnographer and journalist has spent over a decade studying the subculture, from cosplayers to collectors, "rotten girls" to bishojo-loving boys. (theverge.com) |
| May 09 | 'Exodus' of disaster-panicked foreigners from post-3.11 Japan doesn't add up |
| One year ago -- less than two months after the Great East Japan Earthquake and with the Fukushima nuclear crisis in flux -- anyone walking the streets of Tokyo might very well have asked that question. With Japan in the teeth of disaster, it seemed as though the country's foreign population had evaporated, an image reinforced by news footage of gargantuan queues at Narita International Airport check-in counters. (Mainichi) |
| May 06 | 'Cool Japan' school uniforms: A tale of imported culture now spreading across the globe |
| Sailor-style outfits, blazers, and stand-up collars are just some representative items from Japanese school uniforms, which are now spreading across the world as part of the "Cool Japan" trend. Behind the skirts and the sleeves, however, are decades' worth of imported culture and generational changes. (Mainichi) |
| May 06 | Urban day care centers in Japan face chronic staff shortages |
| Local governments in major urban areas in Japan are intensifying their efforts to establish more day care centers to decrease the number of children on waiting lists, but this has in turn led to a new problem - securing enough staff for such facilities. (sacbee.com) |
| May 05 | Number of children in Japan hits new low |
 The country's population of children as of April 1 was estimated at a record low of 16.65 million, falling 120,000 from a year before for the 31st consecutive yearly drop, government data showed Friday.
(Yomiuri  ) |
| May 05 | English fluency and alligator pits |
| When I used to teach English at university, I was sure to leave an impression on my students on their first day of class. I'd tell them that as Japanese speakers, they could only speak with a mere 130 million people. But if they could learn English, they would be able to communicate with 500 million to 1 billion people. (Japan Times) |
| May 05 | 83% of young people have job anxieties |
| More than 80 percent of people aged 15 to 29 are very concerned about whether they can earn enough money or receive public pensions after retirement, according to a draft of an annual government report. (Yomiuri) |
| May 02 | Schoolboy steals chemicals to make bomb |
 A 17-year-old schoolboy has been arrested on suspicion of breaking into his school's chemistry storage room and stealing Potassium Nitrate multiple times from February until this month, police said Tuesday. (tbsnewsi ) |
| May 01 | In Japan, what happens to children after their parents divorce? |
| After divorce, Japan's family court grants the custody to one parent only. It is the rule of the "single parent," or the single custody. In cases where a child is born to a couple, where one parent is a Japanese national, that child can be taken away by that Japanese parent-without the consent of the other parent. (japansubculture.com) |
| May 01 | It's just because . . . foreigners know best |
| You seldom see the sight these day of pairs of crew-cut white males in pressed white shirts and ties pedaling around cities in Japan. The sight is from a bygone age, largely relegated to history: The white man with a burden to educate and enlighten the natives, in this case about the one true religion, Christianity. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 30 | Academics eye global cooperation |
| The presidents and vice presidents of 14 universities in 10 countries and areas around the world gathered in Tokyo on Sunday to discuss how to nurture globally minded citizens in today's changing world. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 30 | Schools consider changing hours on annular eclipse day |
| Many primary and middle schools in the Tokyo metropolitan area plan to change the starting time for classes on May 21, when an annular eclipse will be observed for the first time in 173 years in the area. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 28 | Government adopts safety plan for children |
 The government on Friday adopted a basic policy on safety education at schools for the next five years, with the goal of minimizing harm to children in the event of natural disasters and other situations.
(Yomiuri ) |
| Apr 26 | Private univs coy on fall enrollment |
| More than 70 percent of private universities and colleges are taking a wait-and-see approach to whether to change undergraduate enrollment from spring to autumn, according to a survey. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 25 | Shielding kids from parental abuse |
| A revised civil law came into force on April 1 with a provision for suspending parental prerogatives for up to two years to protect children from parental violence or neglect. The revised civil law also makes clear that parental protection and education of children must be done for the sake of the children's interests. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 23 | Single-sex schools see dramatic decline |
| Reflecting the nation's declining birthrate, the number of single-sex schools in the country has decreased dramatically, according to a 2011 poll by the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 19 | Burmese refugees face tough time in Japan |
| President Thein Sein begins his state visit to Japan on Friday, a country with strong historic and economic links to Burma. Yet Japan is also struggling to find a solution to the issue of Burmese asylum seekers on its own soil. (irrawaddy.org) |
| Apr 19 | Impressed by Japan's discipline |
| Participants of the Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths (Jenesys) programme recently had a first-hand experience of Japanese hospitality and discipline. (New Straits Times) |
| Apr 18 | 1.8 million students take unified tests |
| Around 1.8 million sixth-grade elementary and third-year junior high school students nationwide took unified achievement tests Tuesday after they were suspended last year in the wake of the Great East Japan Earthquake. The examinees were from 25,868 public and private schools. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 17 | For Japanese linguist, a long and lonely schlep |
| A smattering of Yiddish words has crept into the American vernacular: Non-Jews go for a nosh or schmooze over cocktails. Yet the language itself, once spoken by millions of Jews, is now in retreat. But you don't have to be Jewish to love Yiddish. In Japan, a linguist has toiled quietly for decades to compile the world's first Yiddish-Japanese dictionary - the first time the Jewish language has been translated into a non-European language other than Hebrew. (NPR) |
| Apr 17 | Nuke majors in decline at universities |
| The number of students enrolled as nuclear energy majors at seven universities has fallen by 16 percent this year, a Kyodo News survey said Monday. Among universities offering undergraduate and graduate programs in the nuclear sciences, only 223 students had enrolled for the 2012 academic year, compared with 264 last year. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 16 | 'Understand what I'm saying?' stressing out newly hired workers |
| Senior company officials may scratch their heads when they see the results of a recent online survey on words that cause newly hired young workers to feel pressured. In answer to the survey conducted by household products maker Lion Corp., the largest group of respondents chose "Do you understand what I'm saying?" as the phrase spoken by their bosses that made them feel pressured when they were still fresh at their workplace. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 15 | TOEIC's popularity on the rise |
| The Test of English for International Communication (TOEIC) is becoming popular as English is an essential skill for employees as companies expand overseas. The number of applicants in Japan for the TOEIC test, which measures English language skills necessary for international business, in fiscal 2011 increased by about 30 percent to 2.27 million from the previous fiscal year. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 15 | Are women really on the ascendancy as some media proclaim? |
| Joshi bakari ga naze tsuyoi?" ("Why is it that only women are strong?") asks Aera (Mar. 26). The question may be a valid one, at least when limited to international sports events, where Japan's women over the past several years have been outshining their male counterparts as they excel in soccer, women's Greco-Roman wrestling, skiing and figure skating, among others. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 15 | A step in the right direction |
| Junior high school students will be dancing up a storm under new guidelines from the education ministry that require dancing, along with martial arts, as compulsory subjects at schools this year. These new subjects will be required for all Japanese middle school students from this spring. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 14 | Medicine museum opens in Tokyo |
| A museum that opened recently in Tokyo's Nihonbashi district is offering visitors the chance to learn more about medicine, for free. The Kusuri Museum, run by pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo Co., uses computer graphics and other visual displays to show visitors how medicines are derived from plants, bacteria and other compounds, work on 3-D puzzles to create medicines, and even play games in which medicines battle viruses and bacteria. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 12 | Attracting foreign talent to Japan's universities |
| According to data released by the Chinese government in February, Shenzhen topped the list of Chinese cities in terms of the number of applications for international patents for the eighth consecutive year in 2011. As economic globalization intensifies competition among not only countries, but also cities, an increasing rivalry has sprung up to win talented human resources. (AsiaOne) |
| Apr 12 | 15-year-old girl jumps to death from Yokohama school building |
| Police said Wednesday that a 15-year-old girl jumped to her death from the 5th floor of a school building in Yokohama. According to police, the incident occurred at about 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Tamagawa Gakuen, TBS reported. A teacher witnessed the girl climb over the railing and jump. The girl was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead. (Japan Today) |
| Apr 11 | Allowances to private college students fall |
| Monthly allowances given by parents to students who entered private colleges in the Tokyo metropolitan area last spring fell for the 11th consecutive year, a survey has shown. The average monthly allowance for freshmen attending school away from home was 91,300 yen, down 300 yen from the previous year, according to the survey released Monday by the Tokyo Federation of Private University Faculty and Staff Unions. (Yomiuri) |
| Apr 10 | Tohoku disaster motivates new teacher |
| The new school year started Monday at many primary and middle schools in disaster-hit Miyagi Prefecture. The month of April is also the start of a teaching career for some teachers in the prefecture. One of them is Namiko Akahira, 27, who was assigned to teach at Matsugahama Primary School in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture. (AsiaOne) |
| Apr 10 | Teachers with two left feet struggling with dance classes |
 A new education rule that kicked in this year has created a fresh challenge for gym teachers across the nation: how to teach hip-hop.
Thanks to teaching guidelines revised in 2008, dancing joined martial arts as a compulsory subject for junior high school students this month.
(Japan Times) |
| Apr 10 | Book is behind bullying of mixed-race children |
 Dear Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Hirofumi Hirano,
My three beautiful children were all born in Japan and went to Japanese public schools. Their mother is a native Japanese of Japanese ethnic background, and I am a Canadian citizen of African background.
Since my children are light brown, they were often teased by other kids because of the color of their skin. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 08 | 23 Japanese institutions to join education expo |
| Twenty-three Japanese universities and language schools will take part in the international education conference and exhibition to get under way April 17-20 at the Riyadh International Exhibition Center under the auspices of the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education. (arabnews.com) |
| Apr 07 | Few new students as school year starts |
| About 700 elementary and junior high schools in Fukushima Prefecture held ceremonies Friday to kick off the new school year, but some have significantly fewer new students compared with last April. About 34,450 students had entered elementary or junior high schools in the prefecture as of Friday, down 1,450 from the previous year, the prefecture's education board said. Many relocated with their families to other areas of Japan to avoid radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear crisis. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 07 | Deaf student qualifies to teach English in Nagoya |
 A deaf student at Nagoya Gakuin University who obtained a license to teach English to students with impaired hearing graduated on March 15.
Misato Fujiwara, 23, will start teaching at Aichi Prefectural Nagoya School for the Aurally Disabled in Chikusa Ward, Nagoya, on Wednesday.
(Japan Times) |
| Apr 05 | High school students less willing to study overseas |
| Japanese high school students are less willing to study abroad than their counterparts in the United States, China and South Korea, according to survey results released Wednesday. The survey conducted by the Japan Youth Research Institute found that 46 percent of Japanese high school students hope to study abroad, compared with 82 percent in South Korea, 58 percent in China and 53 percent in the U.S. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 04 | UNESCO honors kids who created postquake newspaper |
| UNESCO on Monday honored the children who created a newspaper to encourage evacuees at a shelter in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, after it was hit by last year's earthquake and tsunami. Four of the 12 children who worked on creating the Fight Shimbun newspaper, a colorful handwritten wall newspaper with illustrations, were invited to the headquarters of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris to be honored by Francesco Bandarin, assistant director general for culture. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 03 | Volunteers struggle to track neediest residents |
| Welfare commissioners cover a broad array of tasks, including regularly checking in on elderly and disabled residents, looking for signs of child abuse, providing local residents with information about services, and even helping them dispose of garbage. Although demand for welfare commissioners is on the rise due to the graying of the population, municipalities are having a harder time finding enough of them to meet the need. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 01 | Master of public finance brings life to numbers |
| Born the grandson of a once-prosperous textile manufacturer in Urawa, Saitama Prefecture, Naohiko Jinno says that when he was growing up he was told by his mother, over and over again, that money was not important. Now aged 66, and a professor emeritus of economics at the University of Tokyo, Jinno recalls his mother telling him so many times that money doesn't matter - it's the things you can't buy with money that really matter. (Japan Times) |
| Apr 01 | Money to study abroad |
| To combat the decline in Japanese students studying abroad, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is finally taking action. Special five-year grants of ¥100 million to ¥200 million will be offered to 40 universities for study abroad programs. These grants are a welcome step forward with far-reaching benefits. The education ministry seems to have got the right idea with practical steps for implementation. (Japan Times) |
| Mar 30 | 12 universities to launch forum on fall enrollment |
| Twelve leading universities have agreed to establish a forum of their presidents to discuss switching the start of the academic year to fall to conform with educational institutions overseas, the University of Tokyo said Thursday. One of the university's seven executive vice presidents, Takao Shimizu, made the announcement during a news conference to unveil the final report by an in-house panel on switching the start of its academic year from spring to fall. (Japan Times) |
| Mar 29 | 60% of big municipalities test school meals' cesium |
| A recent nationwide survey of 74 major municipalities has found that 44 are testing school meals for radioactive cesium from the Fukushima nuclear crisis. The 44 municipal governments said they are conducting a variety of tests on school meals, while another six municipalities, including the city of Akita and Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, plan to start tests in the near future. (Japan Times) |
| Mar 29 | High school texts bulk up with 12% more pages |
| The average number of pages in high school textbooks to be used from next spring will increase by 11.9 percent compared to those being used now, according to the results of textbook screenings released by the education ministry. The increase results from the government's new curriculum guidelines, which expand the amount of academic content students must learn while also eliminating a clause that restricted the teaching of higher-level material. (Yomiuri) |
| Mar 29 | Guidelines eyed for non-obese people |
| The health ministry wants people suffering from hypertension and abnormal blood sugar levels to receive comprehensive health guidance even if they are not obese or do not have metabolic syndrome, according to an interim report released Wednesday. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which will ask business operators and municipal governments to provide the guidance, will maintain obesity standards of abdominal circumferences of 85 centimeters and over for men and 90 centimeters and over for women. (Yomiuri) |