Gov't suggests schools reopen for some grades

May 03, 2020 | News On Japan

May 03, 2020 (Japan Today) - Japan's education ministry presented Friday the option of schools reopening for some grades only to reduce the risk of coronavirus infections, with priority given to classes for first- and sixth-graders at elementary schools as well as senior students at junior high schools.

The proposal was made to local education boards. Most schools across Japan have been closed since early March amid the spread of the virus.

Elementary school first- and sixth-graders as well as senior students at junior high will be prioritized because they have either just entered school in April, are in their final year or have to prepare for entrance exams next year.

The suggestion follows a meeting between the education ministry and a government panel of experts on Monday.

The ministry also proposed holding classes in smaller groups using several classrooms, providing boxed school lunches rather than having students serve food to each other and avoiding group sports.

While the nationwide state of emergency over the virus epidemic, originally scheduled to end next Wednesday, is expected to be extended for another month, education minister Koichi Hagiuda said not all schools need to remain closed as the situation varies from region to region.

"If all schools follow the measures of the hardest-hit municipalities, classes will increasingly fall behind schedule," Hagiuda said, urging local authorities to reopen schools if possible based on their own judgement.

Noting some municipalities have already decided to extend school closures to the end of May, Hagiuda said it will be "a stretch" for them to make up for lost time and complete the academic year that will end next March.

In a related development, the prime minister's office has instructed relevant ministries to thrash out issues concerning the option of changing the start of the academic year to September, government sources said Friday.

The government hopes to sort out key issues as early as June before starting to discuss whether to introduce the new system from next year.

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.