News On Japan

Paralyzed girl attends school on court order

Yomiuri — 2009-07-04 00:59:33

A girl with cerebral palsy attended a public middle school in Nara Prefecture for the first time Friday following a court order that temporarily approved her enrollment at the school. Dressed in a brand new sailor-style school uniform, Meika Taniguchi of Shimoichicho in the prefecture, was welcomed by teachers as her mother dropped her off at Shimoichi Middle School in the town shortly after 8 a.m. (Yomiuri)

A look into the secrets of the Kanji family

Japan Times — 2009-07-04 00:45:11

Japanese is comprised of three syllable alphabets: kanji, hiragana and katakana. Yeah, you've heard this before. But do you know the history behind the three? Kanji originated in China and came to Japan during the Han Dynasty (Japan's Asuka Period 530-710). (Japan Times)

Survey shows record number of foreign students need language training

AP — 2009-07-03 13:35:53

Japanese public schools are accommodating an unprecedented number of foreign students struggling to solve the language problem and nearly 30,000 of them have been found to require constant help in learning Japanese, an education ministry survey showed Friday. Publicly run elementary, junior high and high schools across Japan reported a record 28,575 students who they thought need to learn Japanese to keep up with classes or live everyday life as of last September, up 13 percent from a year earlier, according to the survey results. (AP)

Pieces of medieval Islamic ceramic vase discovered in Nara

AP — 2009-07-03 13:35:53

Pieces of an Islamic ceramic vase dating back to the late eighth century have been discovered in Nara Prefecture, making it possibly the oldest Islamic porcelain found in Japan, Nara city government researchers said Friday. Nineteen pieces with a blue-green exterior and dark green interior surface were unearthed at Saidaiji Temple in the ancient Japanese capital, they said without giving the specific date of the discovery. (AP)

5 years sought for ex-Nova president charged with embezzling

AP — 2009-07-03 06:41:01

Prosecutors demanded five years in prison Friday for Nozomu Sahashi, former president of English conversation school operator Nova Corp., on a charge of embezzling 320 million yen in employment benefit funds shortly before the company went bankrupt in 2007. (AP)

Govts to pay juku tuition for kids in foster care

Yomiuri — 2009-07-02 23:22:18

aced with evidence that children living in foster care facilities are falling behind in their studies, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry has decided to cover the cost of attending juku cram schools for middle school students in such facilities. Under the new policy, the ministry will pay half of middle school students' monthly juku tuition, and prefectural governments will provide the remaining half. The ministry will formally notify prefectural governments of its decision as early as next week. (Yomiuri)

Single moms fight for kids' futures

Japan Times — 2009-07-02 02:57:45

For single mothers, no government financial assistance means no higher education for their children - and probably no future. (Japan Times)

Teachers should quit if they don't like anthem: Saitama gov.

AP — 2009-07-02 06:54:24

Saitama Gov. Kiyoshi Ueda said Wednesday teachers should quit if they refuse to stand up and sing the "Kimigayo" national anthem at school ceremonies. "I think teachers who do not like the (Hinomaru) national flag and the national anthem should quit," he told the prefectural assembly. "Those who do not love their own country will not be respected in other countries." (AP)

Japan students rush for English-language education

AFP — 2009-07-02 07:00:53

At 28,000 dollars a year, a popular English language cram school course in Japan doesn't come cheap, but its students hope the rewards will more than make up for the hefty tuition fee. The class is called "Route H" -- short for "Route to Harvard". Hundreds of schools like it have opened across Japan in recent years to prep a new generation of students who have their educational sights set far beyond Japan's shores, at the top universities of the West. (AFP)

3 college rugby players busted for buying cannabis

Mainichi — 2009-07-02 13:03:51

Three college rugby players have been arrested on suspicion of buying cannabis from a drug dealer, police said. Hyogo Prefectural Police arrested three Osaka University of Economics students on suspicion of cannabis possession. They were Yuki Hashimoto and Kyohei Shigematsu, both 20, and a 19-year-old male. The trio are all members of the university's rugby team that has taken part in two inter-college championships. (Mainichi)

National Rhinoceros Beetle Sumo Championship ends in chaos after feisty finalist flees

Mainichi — 2009-07-01 04:16:53

The grand final of the National Rhinoceros Beetle Sumo Championship suffered a shock upset on Sunday after one "wrestler" flew out of the arena and subsequently the room, earning an instant disqualification. (Mainichi)

Panel eyes new schools for vocational education

Yomiuri — 2009-07-01 00:35:33

A key government panel on education suggested Monday the establishment of a new category of school that will attach primary importance to practical vocational training for high school graduates. The idea was suggested by the Central Council for Education as a measure to broaden the range of career choices for high school graduates and reduce the high rate of young people leaving employment. (Yomiuri)

Ex-kanji foundation executives reindicted over misuse of funds

Yomiuri — 2009-07-01 00:35:33

Prosecutors have issued fresh indictments against a former director and a former deputy director of the Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation on charges of causing losses of 27 million yen to the foundation by contracting fictitious work to an affiliate firm. (Yomiuri)

Ishikawa OK's kid cell phone ban

Japan Times — 2009-06-29 23:56:57

The Ishikawa Prefectural Assembly passed an ordinance Monday obliging parents to make efforts not to give their children cell phones if they are of elementary or junior high school age. The measure, to be enforced in January, will be the first local ordinance in Japan aimed at restricting cell phone possession by children. The ordinance does not carry any penalties. (Japan Times)

Day-care waiting lists grow longer

Asahi — 2009-06-30 04:25:27

The number of children on waiting lists for authorized day-care centers was 14,478 in 94 major municipalities as of April 1, up about 30 percent from a year earlier, an Asahi Shimbun survey showed. The increase was particularly noticeable in the Tokyo metropolitan area. (Asahi)

The slippery slope of shogakko

Japan Times — 2009-06-29 23:56:57

Although July's stickiness unglues most minds from study, it is at this time of year that mothers in Japan turn their thoughts toward school. Enrolling children in summer cram programs, visiting potential private schools, researching every possible option - all are occupations to fill the barefoot days of vacation with meticulous preparation for the eventual start of formal education: Japanese elementary school, or shogakko. (Japan Times)

40 percent of retailers say shoplifting has increased: poll

Mainichi — 2009-06-29 11:35:37

Nearly 40 percent of retailers across the nation say damage caused by shoplifting has increased, up 11.5 points compared to a previous survey in February 2008, says an anti-crime nonprofit organization. (Mainichi)

Japanese hardware stores - hard, 'anyware'

Japan Times — 2009-06-26 23:55:56

Australia has Bunnings and the U.S. has Lowe's, do-it-yourself super stores that sell anything you could ever need for remodeling your house. Japan, however, still has no such superstores, perhaps because Hello Kitty has cornered the market on most products anyway. (Japan Times)

Over 80% of kids experience both sides of bullying

AP — 2009-06-26 04:30:23

More than 80 percent of school-age children surveyed have both engaged in and fallen victim to bullying, the National Institute for Educational Policy Research said Friday. The finding indicates that every child has the potential to become involved in both sides of bullying, the institute said, adding that it will compile a handout based on the survey results for circulation among teachers of all schools. (AP)

Japanese is just a language

Japan Times — 2009-06-24 23:33:03

The other day in English class I shocked a student by supplying her with a translation of the Japanese proverb "Even monkeys fall from trees." (The English-language proverb I used for the translation was "Even Homer sometimes nods.") The student seemed amazed that English had proverbs; she had believed them to be a unique feature of the Japanese language. I once got the same reaction from a student who thought that "puns" were an exclusively Japanese phenomenon. (Japan Times)

Popularity of the abacus rises as kids get back to basics

Japan Times — 2009-06-24 23:33:03

The popularity of the abacus, now rarely used in the world of calculators, has recently been on the rise as many parents concerned about their children's math ability have started sending them to abacus schools to develop their skills. (Japan Times)

Quartet of major universities to hold joint recruitment fair

AP — 2009-06-25 00:02:20

Four major universities plan to hold a joint recruitment fair in early August to extend a helping hand to many students who have not received provisional job offers amid the current recession. Though it is unusual for well-known universities to collaborate over recruitment, Meiji, Hosei, Chuo and Japan Women's universities hope their fair will help as many students as possible obtain job offers by utilizing the united power of their educational brands. (AP)

Stomach peko peko? Dig into these Japanese food words

Japan Times — 2009-06-23 22:38:52

One of the most enjoyable aspects of Japanese cuisine is how it stimulates the senses: exquisite presentation, delicious taste, enticing aroma, distinctive texture and unique sound. The last one stands out most in comparison with Western food culture. While the sounds involved in the consumption of food are minimized in the West, for fear of embarrassment, they are celebrated in Japan - consider the noisy sound made when Japanese slurp noodles: tsuru tsuru. (Japan Times)

Female applicants break record in passing civil service exam

Japan Times — 2009-06-23 22:38:52

Women accounted for a record-high 20.1 percent of those who passed the Level-1 civil service examination for fiscal 2009, the first time the ratio has topped 20 percent since the current test was adopted in 1960, the National Personnel Authority said Tuesday. (Japan Times)

Over half of new hires feared retraction of job offers: survey

AP — 2009-06-22 13:34:22

A total of 54.2 percent of people who began working this spring had been worried that their prospective employers would renege on their job offers, according to survey results released Monday by the Sanno Institute of Management. (AP)