Abe gives up on Sept. school start for now

Jun 03, 2020 | News On Japan

Jun 03, 2020 (NHK) - Japan's Prime Minister Abe Shinzo has effectively given up on plans to change the start of the nation's school year from April to September.

Abe told a Liberal Democratic Party working team that introducing the proposed change is difficult for the time being.

Governors of Tokyo and other prefectures have called for starting the year in September amid school shutdowns due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The LDP team, led by former education minister Shibayama Masahiko, studied the matter and submitted a report summarizing its views.

It said shifting the school year needs a national consensus and time to prepare, and that it would be difficult to implement the plan in the near future, such as the current or next academic year.

The team also suggested that the government study the matter by listening widely and carefully to views of experts and members of the public.

For his part, Abe said the government is working with local authorities to ensure students' right to learn in the current social situation, following the lifting of the nationwide state of emergency.

He indicated that the proposed change of the start of the school year involves revising related laws and that it is difficult to make the change that way for the current or next year.

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