News On Japan

Japan to conduct 1st major survey on myopia among schoolchildren

Apr 20 (Kyodo) - Japan will conduct its first large-scale survey on myopia among elementary and junior high school students, to begin as a government digital device rollout nears its conclusion, education ministry officials said Monday.

Amid concerns over the increasing use of such devices and their potential impact on children's health, the ministry will conduct the nearsightedness survey on 9,000 students -- ranging from first-graders in elementary school to third-year junior high school students -- in May and June.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology aims to come up with effective measures to protect children's eyes, as pathological shortsightedness can develop into serious diseases with a risk of the loss of sight in later life.

According to the ministry, the rate of students with uncorrected visual acuity worse than 20/20 vision rose to record highs -- 34.57 percent for elementary school children and 57.47 percent for junior high school students -- in school health statistics for fiscal 2019.

Many were believed to have suffered from myopia but it was difficult to carry out detailed exams at schools, the ministry said.

Research data also suggested over 70 percent of elementary school students in Tokyo have myopia. The condition could lead to serious problems such as glaucoma and retinal detachment in adulthood.

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The Emperor, Empress, and their daughter Princess Aiko visited the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall in Sumida Ward on Thursday afternoon, marking their first visit to the site as Japan observes the 80th year since the end of World War II. They were greeted upon arrival by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike and other officials.

The Kofu Local Meteorological Observatory announced on October 23rd that the season’s first snow had been observed on Mount Fuji, which stands 3,776 meters tall. Around 6 a.m., an official visually confirmed that snow had clearly accumulated near the summit.

After nearly a decade of construction, the newly rebuilt Haneda Line of the Metropolitan Expressway, one of Tokyo’s key arteries linking the city center with Haneda Airport, has been unveiled to the media ahead of its official switch to a new road on October 29th.

The newly launched Takaichi Cabinet moved into full operation on October 22nd, with early personnel decisions revealing a clear conservative tone. Satsuki Katayama was appointed as finance minister and Kimi Onoda as minister in charge of foreign resident policy, underscoring what observers are calling the emergence of a distinct “Takaichi color.”

Authorities in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, have begun culling approximately 460,000 laying hens after a poultry farm in the region’s Iburi area confirmed infections of highly pathogenic avian influenza, marking the first confirmed outbreak of the season in Japan.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

The Metropolitan Police Department has arrested Naoki Satake, an unemployed suspect, on suspicion of robbery resulting in injury after he allegedly sprayed tear gas on a man and tried to steal 53 million yen in Tokyo’s Edogawa Ward in September.

A train window on the Tobu Tojo Line shattered while the train was in motion on the evening of October 22nd, leaving five passengers injured.

The number of people killed in bear attacks across Japan in 2025 has risen to nine—the highest ever recorded—prompting urgent responses from both the government and local authorities as incidents continue to spread from forests to residential areas.

A photograph of fireworks soaring above the Edo River in Chiba’s Ichikawa City — forming what looked like a glowing Mount Fuji — was taken down from city hall just one day after being displayed, following a single citizen complaint.

The October issue of the long-established American lifestyle magazine Town & Country features Mako Komuro, the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, on the cover under the headline "Princess Ingognito," dedicating a six-page spread to Komuro and her husband Kei, exploring their life in the United States.

Police have arrested a former host and several associates for allegedly coercing female customers into sex work after exploiting their romantic feelings and saddling them with massive debts.

A violent attack early on October 20th in Ibaraki Town, Ibaraki Prefecture left one man dead and another injured after they were stabbed with what appeared to be a bladed weapon inside an apartment. Police are investigating the case as a murder.

A woman in her 40s suffered a serious injury after being trapped in a mechanical parking system in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward on October 19th.